My question involves civil rights in the State of: CA
I had a problem that I thought was maybe just me being poor and having a perfectly legal, working vehicle. I used this 1993 Toyota Corolla to get around and work and ultimately to try and improve my situation. It was difficult though since I would get pulled over at least once a week for no apparent reason.
The final straw came when I was on a date on a Sunday afternoon. It was daytime, and I had taken this lovely young woman to a theater play. We had a nice time.
As I exited the highway to drop her off at home, we drove by a Burbank police car.
I am eminently aware that police must assume I don't have insurance or something because it wasn't uncommon to be pulled over and questioned about my insurance status.
This time, though, the officer pulled me over and didn't ask for license/registration.
This is exactly how the conversation went:
Me: "how can I help you officer?"
Burbank PD: "have you been arrested before?"
Me: "excuse me?"
BBPD: "have you been arrested before?"
At this point, I started to worry because I knew how badly he could screw me over if he was in the mood.
Me: "well... Yes. A long time ago"
(Which is true. 8 years prior, I got a DUI. And it's not that I wasn't willing to be up front about it. It's that I hadn't discussed my idiot-youth mistakes with the girl next to me.)
BBPD: "for what?"
Me: (sigh) DUI. I made mistakes when I was younger"
BBPD: "Get out of the car."
No reason given here. Again, still hadn't asked for license/registration.
I comply. Mostly so I can talk to this dick away from my date, who is clearly not going to be going out with me again.
After I get out:
BBPD: "what happens when I search your car and find something illegal?"
Me: "there's nothing illegal to find"
BBPD: "what happens when I find something?"
Me: (again) "search if you feel you need to do that, but there's nothing illegal to find."
(He doesn't)
BBPD: "Get out of here"
Seriously. That was it. No asking about license/registration. Just purely to make me feel like shit for driving an old, ugly car.
By the way, it only had damage because someone turned left in front of me, then lied to insurance that I made an "illegal lane change in the intersection".
It wasn't true but he had a passenger with him. Naturally, because of my dumb mistake YEARS earlier, during which nobody was harmed. But I did get behind the wheel, paid a lot of money, was arrested, and copped to my mistake in every way. Anyway, because of all that, I can only afford liability insurance now, so when that guy lied to insurance, despite that he turned left in front of me as I went through a green light, insurance inexplicably determined I was 50% at fault for "unsafely entering an intersection" and didn't pay for the damage to my car. So the car had damage.
Then, a year after that, some girl in a BMW literally backed into me at a stop light then tried to run. I somehow chased her down at which point she apologized (well, her boyfriend apologized). I should have called the police and filed a report, but idiot I am, I STILL trusted them that they wouldn't lie to insurance. The lesson: never ever trust anyone ever. Sucks but it's true.
So this Burbank cop pulls me over for no reason other than my ugly (but completely legal, working) car. Sorry I don't have more money, but that's ultimately the worst crime you can commit in America.
I'm sick and tired of being harassed by police for this. And I'm a regular white guy. Just imagine if I was black. Friends tell me horror stories about being messed with by police and I can't even imagine.
What can we do? Anything?
I had a problem that I thought was maybe just me being poor and having a perfectly legal, working vehicle. I used this 1993 Toyota Corolla to get around and work and ultimately to try and improve my situation. It was difficult though since I would get pulled over at least once a week for no apparent reason.
The final straw came when I was on a date on a Sunday afternoon. It was daytime, and I had taken this lovely young woman to a theater play. We had a nice time.
As I exited the highway to drop her off at home, we drove by a Burbank police car.
I am eminently aware that police must assume I don't have insurance or something because it wasn't uncommon to be pulled over and questioned about my insurance status.
This time, though, the officer pulled me over and didn't ask for license/registration.
This is exactly how the conversation went:
Me: "how can I help you officer?"
Burbank PD: "have you been arrested before?"
Me: "excuse me?"
BBPD: "have you been arrested before?"
At this point, I started to worry because I knew how badly he could screw me over if he was in the mood.
Me: "well... Yes. A long time ago"
(Which is true. 8 years prior, I got a DUI. And it's not that I wasn't willing to be up front about it. It's that I hadn't discussed my idiot-youth mistakes with the girl next to me.)
BBPD: "for what?"
Me: (sigh) DUI. I made mistakes when I was younger"
BBPD: "Get out of the car."
No reason given here. Again, still hadn't asked for license/registration.
I comply. Mostly so I can talk to this dick away from my date, who is clearly not going to be going out with me again.
After I get out:
BBPD: "what happens when I search your car and find something illegal?"
Me: "there's nothing illegal to find"
BBPD: "what happens when I find something?"
Me: (again) "search if you feel you need to do that, but there's nothing illegal to find."
(He doesn't)
BBPD: "Get out of here"
Seriously. That was it. No asking about license/registration. Just purely to make me feel like shit for driving an old, ugly car.
By the way, it only had damage because someone turned left in front of me, then lied to insurance that I made an "illegal lane change in the intersection".
It wasn't true but he had a passenger with him. Naturally, because of my dumb mistake YEARS earlier, during which nobody was harmed. But I did get behind the wheel, paid a lot of money, was arrested, and copped to my mistake in every way. Anyway, because of all that, I can only afford liability insurance now, so when that guy lied to insurance, despite that he turned left in front of me as I went through a green light, insurance inexplicably determined I was 50% at fault for "unsafely entering an intersection" and didn't pay for the damage to my car. So the car had damage.
Then, a year after that, some girl in a BMW literally backed into me at a stop light then tried to run. I somehow chased her down at which point she apologized (well, her boyfriend apologized). I should have called the police and filed a report, but idiot I am, I STILL trusted them that they wouldn't lie to insurance. The lesson: never ever trust anyone ever. Sucks but it's true.
So this Burbank cop pulls me over for no reason other than my ugly (but completely legal, working) car. Sorry I don't have more money, but that's ultimately the worst crime you can commit in America.
I'm sick and tired of being harassed by police for this. And I'm a regular white guy. Just imagine if I was black. Friends tell me horror stories about being messed with by police and I can't even imagine.
What can we do? Anything?
Civil Rights Issues: Getting Pulled Over for Damaged Car
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