'We don't need no stinkin' licenses'

[Soldier4Christ]

'We don't need no stinkin' licenses'
Civil-rights groups challenge law for drivers to have proper sanction

 A controversial police technique to remove unlicensed drivers from the roads is being challenged on civil rights grounds, and another federal court decision is expected soon, it was reported today.

Police across California are using temporary roadblocks to find unlicensed drivers, and impound their cars. But Latino rights groups say that practice is discriminatory and aimed at undocumented workers, who are unable to pay for their cars' steep impound fees.

 Los Angeles and Orange counties have joined several other agencies in supporting a state law that requires cars driven by unlicensed or uninsured motorists to be impounded on the spot, and towed to a storage yard.

Three civil rights law firms have sued several agencies, including the City of Los Angeles, for impounding cars owned by illegal aliens, who are barred by state law from getting drivers licenses. The suit claims that Latinos are being singled out in an unconstitutional, sweeping move that violates constitutional protections against unreasonable police conduct against all persons, not just U.S. citizens.

``We've heard a lot of complaints from the Latino community,'' said Bill Flores, a San Diego County Latino organizer, in an interview with the Oceanside North County Times. He noted that the impound fees of $1,500 must be added to towing and administrative fees that can go above another $400.

The groups argue that the cars should be parked safely and the motorists cited, so the cases can be heard in court. Some licensed drivers have lost their cars when they could not find their insurance documents at the roadblocks, or if they lent the car to an unlicensed driver, and could not afford to get them out of impound.

But the government attorneys argue that state law is aimed at protecting the public by removing the cars driven by unlicensed, uninsured drivers from the streets immediately.

The state law, they said in court documents, is an extension of police powers to keep the roads free of unlicensed and uninsured drivers.

But recent decisions by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals have prompted a statewide association of police chiefs to warn its members that impounding cars merely because the driver is unlicensed is an unconstitutional seizure under the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

[Soldier4Christ]

Demanding special privileges for certain groups based on race is also racist and special privileges for those that have broken the law in the first place is just plain lunacy.

[Brother Jerry]

There is just so much of this that is just plain wrong.

But recent decisions by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals have prompted a statewide association of police chiefs to warn its members that impounding cars merely because the driver is unlicensed is an unconstitutional seizure under the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Leave it to the 9th to just not get it.  It is not unconstitutional.  It is unreasonable to expect the vehicles to just sit on the side of the road in a pile.  It is unsafe to have those vehicles there.  They must be towed.  And once the City assumes the responsibility of towing them then they must ensure that they are secure. 

It is also not wrong to have check points for insurance and dl's.  People need to understand that driving is a privilege and not a right.  No where in the Constitution does it say that you have the right to drive.  It is the government that provides the roads and regulates them.  If we just let anyone on them that gets behind the wheel then the gment is not doing it's job responsibly.  And if that is the way we want the gment to be when it comes to our roads then they should stop funding the interstates and such and see how quickly they go to pot with holes and everything else.  And we can then not hold them responsible for anything on the road.

And if a police officer pulls someone over and they do not have dl...then they are uncertain of anything else.  Registration or otherwise.  Do they have proof of registration?  Proof of insurance?  Anything that states who they are or that the car is legal.  If it is a state that is along the border to a neighboring country then they should be able to assertain if they are here legally or not.  If not then they should be detained...and if they are illegal then what is the police supposed to do with the car?  It is not a citizen's car...it should be impounded.  DUH.

[Soldier4Christ]

That's the whole idea behind this action. They want free reign and special rights for all illegals. After all illegals have rights to be here and do whatever they want. 

[islandboy]

Well I say it's about time that they start doing their jobs. Our roads are becoming increasingly more dangerous with drivers who can't read the signs, obey our laws, and are constantly driving recklessly on the roads of America. We have had several near misses with drivers that breeze through red lights, cut us off on the highways, and drive like they own the road. If it takes roadblocks and check points to get the job done then I am all for it.

[Soldier4Christ]

We have that here with people that are DUI of cell phones.

[Maryjane]

It is a major problem with cell phones and no one notices it because they are on a cell phone...I can't understand why people have to talk on the phone 24-7 never paying attention to what is in front of them...I thought a woman was talking to herself and she was wearing an ear phone bumping into people and never stopped talking to say "excuse me"..I wish there was a law against people who talk and drive...I was in an accident caused by a woman talking on a cell phone...There are good uses to have a cell phone, but it is some who refuse to find those good reasons...

[Soldier4Christ]

I took my son to work before when he didn't have a car. It was a 30 mile drive there right through a very busy large city. During that trip there were dozens of people using cell phones. Some of those were even hands free head phones. Every one of them would be doing something that could have caused an accident. We thought that they were all drunk until we looked closer and saw the cell phones. That's the reason we say that they are DUI because they are driving under the influence of the cell phones.

Some states are making it against the law to do so. This state so far has only made it illegal for Bus drivers and for those that are under the age of 18 to use a cell phone while driving.

[Shammu]

It is a major problem with cell phones and no one notices it because they are on a cell phone...I can't understand why people have to talk on the phone 24-7 never paying attention to what is in front of them...I thought a woman was talking to herself and she was wearing an ear phone bumping into people and never stopped talking to say "excuse me"..I wish there was a law against people who talk and drive...I was in an accident caused by a woman talking on a cell phone...There are good uses to have a cell phone, but it is some who refuse to find those good reasons...

If you are seen in Arizona, driving and talking on a cell....... Ticket time, that also includes text messaging.

The cops will give you a few minutes to pull over while you talk, before they issue a ticket.  I myself, will pull over when my cell rings.

[islandboy]

Cell phone talkers while driving is a huge problem in Florida, as well. The article speaks about unlicensed, uninsured drivers, of which we are overrun by those as well, illegals being the biggest share of that problem here. Mexican dump truck drivers are big business here in Florida, and their rules of the road make being on the road with them extremely unsafe. They run through red lights on a regular basis, talk on cell phones while changing lanes, by just moving over and let everyone else watch out for them. Our last trip into town we encountered a Mexican man trying to use a construction type walky talky, not paying any attention to the road or other cars on the road, as he was weaving all over the road in front of us. He nearly caused a head on collision and never even noticed as he was looking down at the phone in his hand.
Lack of concern for other people, in general is the underlining issue as the moral breakdown of this country increases.

[Soldier4Christ]

Has anyone else here been to Mexico? It is easy getting a drivers license in Mexico. In some areas of Mexico you can do so without any exams or tests, even if you have never had a previous license. It reminded me of the drivers in the Philippines and Korea. 50 mph on a crowded street with no limits on which side of the street they are on.

[Maryjane]

I have been to Mexico..and even though the government is not strict on licensing...a car will be taken away especially if it is owned by an American...

[Soldier4Christ]

That's because the police make a profit on confiscated vehicles even if you get them out of the impound lot (if you can get them out of the impound lot).