14 Amateur Teen NY Ghost Hunters Arrested
Monday, March 4, 2013 at 1:47PM ;)
WIBV.com
Paranormal Reality shows are everywhere today, and their popularity is more than just delving into the unknown for the sake of drama. These shows present what was once mundane location in a new light, and show that anyone has the opportunity to experience something unknown. They can experience that adventure for themselves if they're willing to look for it.
Unfortunately, many people are far too curious to be aware of the issues involved in actually investigating the paranormal at a location.
A group of fourteen amateur ghost hunters were arrested for trespassing on Sunday, Feb 24th at the former hospital for the WNY Office of Disability Development in Perrysburg NY. State Police received a call tip that led them to Perrysburg water reservoir and ultimately to the parked vehicles of the amateur investigators.
The group dubbed the "C.O.T Ghost Busters" learned that just because a property is derelict and forgotten it doesn't mean it isn't a spot of interest for the authorities.
Fourteen people accused of trespassing
Now, many paranormal investigators and amateur ghost hunters will just say that the teens were in the wrong and got what was coming to them for trespassing on the property.
The issue isn't that the amateur team was in the wrong, it's that they felt it was necessary to investigate in such a manner. Did they ask any of the reputable teams in the area for help locating a site to investigate? What about the local teams? Did they offer to help them or teach them safe methods?
What sort of atmosphere is there in the paranormal community today that amateur investigators will risk their safety, their health and even a criminal record to have an adventure in the unknown?
Now, when the police arrive on-site it's not always because the investigators are doing anything wrong, heck even the Shadow Chasers have had our encounters with the State Police. The first time was because the neighborhood watch was unaware of our investigation, when the police showed up they checked on our permission and subsequently added their own stories to our interviews. The second time was when a really questionable neighbor threatened the team and then sent the police, again we had signed waivers. One of the most noteworthy times the police showed up was during a guided tour with more than 90 people! Each time, the authorities had been notified but somehow the word was never passed along. It happens.
The primary issue for this case is what seems to be the major trend in investigating today. Everyone can be their own paranormal investigator.
Now what is causing this mindset?
Part, seems to be the fact that most people just starting out want to have an adventure with their friends. You don't really want to go out and find some stranger to tell you what to do. You already know the basics from TV, why should you go out of your way when it's something fun for you and your friends?
The second part seems to stem from the exclusivism that many teams are showing these days. Someone wants to join and the instant response is "Nope, we're full right now but you can join our community (be a fan)..." Is it just me or does that sound entirely too condescending? This exclusivism mentality seems to be part of the 'better than thou...' mentality that many teams are showcasing lately.
We're all part of a fringe (liminal) society in the first place, why is it a competition? Sure you can gain credibility (WITHIN THE COMMUNITY) but to everyone not part of the paranormal community we are all crazy and wasting our time.
When someone wants to join, you can have certain expectations but there's no reason to be so condescending and exclusivist. While we've always held certain expectations for members we've never turned anyone away. We've had lectures where we worked with teens and even kids under 12 on understanding and learning the research. One of our best investigators recently is only 16, meanwhile we encountered an amateur 'pro' in his 40s that freaked out and ran away from the same location. It's not about age.
I can't help but feel that this incident with the amateur Tonawanda teen C.O.T Ghost Busters could've been avoided if there was just one experienced investigator that they had consulted. Is the paranormal community breeding an atmosphere of exclusivism? Are we becoming unapproachable?
One of the Tonawanda investigators tweeted from the site, sharing an alleged image of an apparition.
Twitter
One of the Tonawanda investigators tweeted from the site, sharing an alleged image of an apparition.
After the State Police were on scene at the abandoned Perrysburg hospital and cited the group for trespassing, the teen ghost hunters had a dispute on Twitter about who was to blame for their unfortunate evening.
Twitter[/caption]
In the end, it doesn't matter who within the group was responsible. The 14 Amateur Ghost Hunters were cited for trespassing and all have appearance tickets scheduled for March 7th.
Paranormal Investigating, ghost hunting, is rapidly becoming a common past-time for people especially teens and those looking for a little adventure without having to go that far. Creepy, abandoned locations are everywhere from the Perrysburg Hospital to our own local CNY Psych Center in Marcy. Many want to investigate, but all sites are subject to trespassing laws.
Shadow Chasers
The intent of this article was to question whether the paranormal community was creating an atmosphere of being unapproachable to those interested in the subject. After posting and receiving countless bligerent hostile comments not from the teens but from members of 'Paranormal Community' about public record information it is becoming quite clear that the community is clearly at fault for events such as this.
Sources - Observer, Dunkirk, NY - "14 Tonawanda ghost hunters charged with trespassing"
The 390.com - "State Police in Collins arrest 14 from Tonawanda for trespassing at J.N. Adam site in Perrysburg"
WIBV 4. Com - "Fourteen people accused of trespassing"
Who Forted - "Ghost Hunters Busted for Trespassing, Post Their Ghostly Evidence Online"