Police Raid Enthusiast Gathering,Generate Revenue

[BuickGN]

I think what the police did was wrong but it's hard to ignore that 99.9% of the stupid dangerous [censored] comes from the import crowd. I street raced for 10 years, hanging out at Sonic every weekend, and only once did I see a wreck from one of the fast cars but these idiots in Hondas manage to wreck their 17 second cars left and right.

When I'm in the Buick, I've had cops ask me to light them up. It's assumed I might stand on the gas for a second or two and back off real quick. Say the same thing to a Honda owner and most likely you're going to get a top speed run through traffic after he's done laying 2 inches of rubber.

 

[wantin150]

Originally Posted By: Greggy_D
Originally Posted By: wantin150
Once again, I'm NOT defending actions but...

The news interviewed 1 officer and pulled a little quote, probably out of context, and printed it. Just because there was 100 cops doesn't mean that all of them acted the same way. When there are special enforcement teams or details, people are issued tickets for everything. No breaks. That way, the enforcement is consistant and no one can claim that they were picked on (not the group, just an individual).

Modifying vehicles in California is illegal. Aftermarket exhausts and intakes are illegal (unless specifically CARB exempt as indicated by the add-on mfg and appropriately tagged as such). California requires two license plates. If you remove one to be cool, you're in violation. Get over it. You made the modifications. This isn't some cop saying you're doing 10 over the speed limit. Equipment violations are pretty cut and dry.

California also has "fix it" type tickets, IIRC. How many of these violations would later be dropped if the violation was fixed?

Big Brother is watching and "the" Man is coming to get us. What's that song? "Paranoia, Paranoia, everybody's coming to get me."


And you're telling me there was no REAL crime that 100 officers could have attended to versus writing [censored] revenue tickets?

That HALF A MILLION DOLLARS for a fishing expedition could not have been spent in a more cost-effective manner?


And what would you have had them go after? Blitz campaigns are quite popular and usually target certain crimes/activities. Whether or not YOU feel that this wasn't a "real" crime, the activity was investigated and crimes (albeit equipment violations) were discovered. It's up to a judge or jury from here. As for the money, atleast there was an outcome and it wasn't spent on some study to determine whether or not people liked crust on their bread. If you were to evaluate and debate every time city/county/state government "wasted" money, you would never leave your computer. The only reason this one gets so much attention is because the po-po were involved.

 

[andyd]

California is being over run with illegal aliens and where do the powers that be spend the money? harrassing a bunch of kids in a parking lot? Dubya Tee Eff

 

[sciphi]

The trick is doing modifications that don't look/sound any different than normal. More fun figuring out how to make things look like they belong there. Oh, and modifying cars that aren't normally modified.

It's a waste. Go bust some murderers or crack dealers, something that actually benefits society rather than breaking up a peaceful gathering.

 

[Colt45ws]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
The trick is doing modifications that don't look/sound any different than normal. More fun figuring out how to make things look like they belong there. Oh, and modifying cars that aren't normally modified.

 

[Win]

Originally Posted By: moribundman
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
I think Chris(fill in numbers) from Apple Valley says that you need 10 acres to ride your own ATV on your own property. He only has 5 ..and ..it is, apparently, in the middle of nowhere.
the minimum is 40 acres to ride on your own property.


It just further goes to show you that it's not really your property, even if you "own" it.


It really hasn't been "your" property for quite some time now.

Zoning restrictions are a major incursion on private property rights. They can be looked at as preservation of existing rights, but they also can and do lock out a myriad of beneficial uses of property. The various civil rights acts of the 1960's further limited what landowners can do with their property. The environmental laws are massive incursions on private property rights. If you're dumb enough to own a Mall, you may even get forced into a quasi public status where you have to put up with the first amendment rights of idiots and malcontents you may loathe.

So it's finally gotten so bad in Cali that Joe Six Pack can't even ride his four wheeler unless he has a South 40?

Good.

Maybe the public, that is almost overwhelmingly ignorant of, or completely indifferent to, this massive rights takeaway, will finally get it. Or maybe not. After all, most people couldn't even stomach W*M checking receipts, on W*M property.

 

[MarkC]

Speaking of property rights, what about when Second Amendment rights interfere with property rights? (or vice versa)

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-flfguns0410sbapr10,0,5168476.story

 

[Win]

Originally Posted By: MarkC
Speaking of property rights, what about when Second Amendment rights interfere with property rights? (or vice versa)

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-flfguns0410sbapr10,0,5168476.story


If you do, or do not, want firearms on your private property, it's your property, that should be your call.

And, frankly, even if somebody has a "right" to do something on your property that you wish to prohibit, basic manners and decency dictate that your choice be respected.

Basic manners and decency are sadly lacking in modern America.

 

[oldmaninsc]

Originally Posted By: Pablo
So, did the parking lot owner(s) complain of trespassing? The article is light on detail.


Actually, if you read another article from the Riverside Press Enterprise, you get a slightly different and less bias view of the situation. As someone how has lived in this area for many decades, I can tell you that street racing is a HUGE problem. I have been almost killed more than once by these kids with their 500 dollar Hondas with 10-20K of JUNK attached!


Police spokesman Steven Frasher said officers had been monitoring illegal activity in the lot for weeks. The large number of people who received tickets for illegal modifications common to street racing confirmed officers' suspicions that the lot was a hotbed of street racing activity, he said.

"Almost every vehicle that was there, even if they weren't street racing, they were ... an audience," Frasher said, adding that the lot was full of skid marks left behind by racers.

Neighboring business managers at Hooters Restaurant and John's Incredible Pizza are glad the problem was addressed. At times, they said, cars speed through their parking lots, threatening the safety of others and scaring away customers.

"They seek a big parking lot and ours is huge," said Jim Finigan, director of operations at John's Incredible Pizza.

He was seconded by Chris Guillet, manager of the Riverside Hooters Restaurant, who said problem drivers speed through his lot, barely avoiding collisions. While he was grateful for the police intervention, "I think it just moves the problem to another area," Guillet said.

http://forums.trailvoy.com/showpost.php?p=531171&postcount=10


Anybody that thinks this was just a bunch of innocent kids hanging out - take a trip to this area and spend a couple of days there. If you survive, came back and give us details of the drugs, alcohol and violence you encountered!

 

[XS650]

Originally Posted By: oldmaninsc
]
Anybody that thinks this was just a bunch of innocent kids hanging out - take a trip to this area and spend a couple of days there. If you survive, came back and give us details of the drugs, alcohol and violence you encountered!


I missed the long list of police citations that night for the problems you just mentioned. Where was it?

 

[TooManyWheels]

The large number of people who received tickets for illegal modifications common to street racing confirmed officers' suspicions that the lot was a hotbed of street racing activity, he said.

Logic is obviously not this person's strong suite. I hope a defense attorney makes him look foolish.

 

[Julian]

Quote:
John's Incredible Pizza

 

[XS650]

Originally Posted By: Julian
Quote:
John's Incredible Pizza

Let's not forget
Quote:
He was seconded by Chris Guillet, manager of the Riverside Hooters Restaurant


You would think with 100 cops there there could have nailed someone for one of the alleged complaints (violence, drinking, drugs, burnouts) instead of a bunch of CS non-moving violations.

The degree to which the cops wrote non-moving violations tells me they were [censored] that they didn't find any real problems.

 

[The_Jeff]

Originally Posted By: oldmaninsc

Anybody that thinks this was just a bunch of innocent kids hanging out - take a trip to this area and spend a couple of days there. If you survive, came back and give us details of the drugs, alcohol and violence you encountered!


I have no doubt that they were a bunch of punks, who probably broke the law on another occasion and didn't get caught.

But this is america, and we have to catch 'em in the act, and collect evidence and prosecute them in accordance with the constitution.

 

[Audi Junkie]

As far as land "rights", check again. You dont' actually "own" the land, it's merely a custodianship conveyed to someone.

 

[Jett Rink]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
But this is america, and we have to catch 'em in the act, and collect evidence and prosecute them in accordance with the constitution.


Oh, really?

There has been a change, my friend. The mere accusation of the crime is enough. The rest is just details. Following the law is for pansies and weaklings. Why don't the cops just waterboard these punks. I'm sure they'll confess to something, then we just convict them in a secret court where they can't confront their accusers or cross-examine the witnesses. Piece of cake.

 

[MonumentOiler]

20 vehicles towed for "suspicion of stolen auto parts" is more than a few "too dark tint" tickets and makes me think there was more going on than just harassing the ricers for spite.

I saw that one of the kids interviewed didn't challenge that the parts on his car were stolen. He just claimed that he'd bought them from places he considered "reputable".

The cops will get blasted either way. If they wait until the crowd is liquored up and racing in the lot then they'll get blamed when the idiots start chases all over town and create havoc. If they move in before the real trouble starts then they can only enforce what they have seen and get blasted for enforcing "penny ante" violations when they could be "chasing murderers/rapists/child predators[be careful that you don't catch them too soon either].

This guy was ticketed and still sounds like he thought the police were right -
Quote:
John Ferrier got a "fix-it ticket," he said, because his car's exhaust system was too noisy. And yet the 21-year-old Moreno Valley resident said he was happy the police were cracking down on Honda drivers. He blames them for reckless maneuvers such as "burning out" and "doing doughnuts."

"That's what attracted the police attention," Ferrier said. "I'm glad they're here to stop people before they do something stupid."

 

[MonumentOiler]

Originally Posted By: Jett Rink

There has been a change, my friend. The mere accusation of the crime is enough. The rest is just details. Following the law is for pansies and weaklings. Why don't the cops just waterboard these punks. I'm sure they'll confess to something, then we just convict them in a secret court where they can't confront their accusers or cross-examine the witnesses. Piece of cake.


I must have missed the waterboarding, mass arrests and secret courts mentioned in the article.

[sheesh]

 

[MonumentOiler]

Interesting that the police SGT quoted to look like an idiot may not have even been at the raid in question, the quote is from a year ago and second hand.

Quote:
"If you're not into street racing, why would you need that?" Riverside Police Traffic Sergeant Skip Showalter asked an enthusiast during a similar crackdown last year. "Why would you want more power going to your car?"

 

[XS650]

Originally Posted By: MonumentOiler

Interesting that the police SGT quoted to look like an idiot may not have even been at the raid in question, the quote is from a year ago and second hand.

Quote:
"If you're not into street racing, why would you need that?" Riverside Police Traffic Sergeant Skip Showalter asked an enthusiast during a similar crackdown last year. "Why would you want more power going to your car?"



Are you saying that the quote is wrong or that he is no longer an idiot?