Called the cops on a couple of god botherers today

[Major Nikon]

So a couple of older ladies ring my doorbell. I have a no soliciting sign and it references the city ordinance below "No Soliciting" in large letters.

My towns soliciting ordinance works in a couple of different ways. It was enacted about 15 years ago and I attended two different city counsel meetings and provided input before it was passed. First, in order to do door-to-door soliciting in the town, you must have a solicitor's license, with one exception. The god botherers aren't required to have a solicitor's license, but they still must otherwise comply with the other provisions and the law specifically spells out the god botherers as those who have to comply. At the time it was passed, there was some debate from those who wanted to exempt the god botherers from all provisions. At the time I worked the graveyard shift and I spoke up and said the whole idea is not to get bothered by strangers who have no business at your home because of so many people who are day sleepers. The city agreed and the god botherers got no exemption and were specifically included in the ordinance. You don't have to be engaged in direct sales to be defined as a "solicitor". Anyone who hands out pamphlets or other literature is included.

After the ordinance was passed, and I put up the compliant sign, the number of people who came to my door dropped off to nearly nothing. To their credit, the god botherers are generally pretty good at reading and complying with the law, so in the past 15 years I have had not one god botherer ring my bell. Occasionally you have salespeople who knock anyway and want to argue about how the law doesn't apply to them even though it does and those are also the ones who don't display their solicitor's license also in violation of the law. Each provision carries a $500 fine so one doorbell ring can cost you $1,000 or at least $500 if you're a god botherer.

I get pretty shitty with these people. No matter their intentions they are still breaking the law and I have zero patience with them. These church ladies claimed they were complying with the law since they didn't have to have a solicitor's license. I told them they didn't read the rest of it and I made them the same deal I make everyone who makes the mistake of ringing my doorbell. I told them they have two choices. They can leave my neighborhood and not come back. Or they can argue their case with the police and the judge.

They left and off to my neighbor's house they went as they evidently thought only their imaginary friend's laws applied to them. I called the cops. To their credit they were there in just a few minutes. I don't know if they were cited, but they did leave the neighborhood after their interaction with the police.

I love this law. It works great and in the few instances when people violate I can at least spare some of my neighbors from them.