It has become very clear that the average person has no idea what their rights are when it comes to the police—including many police. When people begin to learn what their rights are when dealing with police and the police become accustomed to respecting those rights, things will go a lot smoother for everyone.
On October 1, 2013, a black woman from Pennsylvania named Shaneen Allen was stopped in Atlantic City, New Jersey for a routine traffic stop. She told the officer that she had a legal handgun in her vehicle and presented her Pennsylvania concealed carry permit. Unfortunately however, her permit was valid in 30 US states, New Jersey isn’t one of them. Consequently, something that was not a big deal turned very serious. Instead of a ticket, Allen was arrested on the spot and now faces up to 11 years in jail with a mandatory minimum of 3 years if convicted. Shaneen Allen is a hardworking single mother of two who has never committed a crime. She purchased a gun legally after her home was burglarized twice. This law abiding mother of two should not have been arrested. If convicted the lives of her displaced children will be jeopardized and justice will not be served.
There are thousands of cases similar to this in nature. Here’s what these people are doing wrong. Stop offering up information to police officers!!!! Stop agreeing to searches you have a legal right to refuse if you haven’t committed a crime, and stop letting officers chat you up in several other directions other than the reason you were stopped for. That’s all there is to it. Had this woman just sat there and taken her ticket, she would have been on her way. Even if the officer somehow got in her car to find her handgun but she didn’t agree to any searches, she’d still be in a much better position legally when she went to court. Allen is a law-abiding citizen who meant well needlessly informing the cop about her gun, but she didn’t know the law or her rights. Many people don’t and fall into her dilemma. For some strange reason Allen felt she needed to tell the officer about her licensed handgun that she purchased lawfully while she was only getting a ticket, and that’s why she’s in the position she is now.
Keeping Police In Their Place
Unfortunately, most people in society are sheep who don’t fully understand what’s going on these days. We’ve been warned incessantly by the Founding Fathers about an easily corruptible government ever trying to increase its power over citizens and diminish human rights. Constantly the threat of terror, safety, and inconveniencing police work seemingly for the greater good is used to cajole people into handing over their rights. However, people who are truly awake need to know when to appease and assist officers doing their job, but know when to draw the line and educate them if need be.
When dealing with police officers it’s important to be calm, non-threatening and cordial. However, you should be mindful of your rights and their limitations. If you were not committing a crime or being detained you do not have to answer any questions, provide unrelated information or agree to any searches. They often make you feel like you do but you don’t. Politely keep the officer focused on the reason he or she stopped you and that’s it. A polite, “Am I free to go?” has been helpful for many when an officer is finished with whatever he needed you for but is still looking around, talking and asking things. The officer doesn’t need to know what groceries you have in the trunk, who your brother is or where you’re going next. Stop volunteering information. This is not a police state. You’re a free American going about your business.
We are not in the era of police officers using good common sense or judgment. Otherwise, Shaneen Allen and countless others would’ve been on their way. Because of unlawful performance quotas, we are in the era of police officers needing and wanting arrests with officers arresting people for frivolous offenses and technicalities.
Of course, there are plenty of great cops out there as I’ve been helped and assisted by many. I’m also friends with some. However, don’t count on that and it doesn’t matter if the cop is good or bad. You shouldn’t give an officer a hard time, but don’t ever give what isn’t required or necessary. Most importantly, you do not have to blabber on the contents of your vehicle while only receiving a traffic ticket.
How The Law Failed Daniele Watts
Because so many people are completely ignorant of the law and how things are supposed to work, many police officers take liberties capitalizing on that societal ignorance and do things they aren’t supposed to. Take the case of Daniele Watts, the “Django Unchained” actress who was stopped on suspicion of prostitution some time ago. As expected, this case was contorted and twisted into a race issue. When this happens tribal mentality kicks in, then countless people automatically begin to side with the police officer and stop thinking. It never was a race issue. It’s about police protocol. The right question is, “should “Jane Doe” standing on the street have been handcuffed?”
The media always controls the narrative; it turned on Watts and eventually she became the “bad guy”. What most people may not realize regardless what they think is that Daniele Watts was completely right from the get-go and the officer was dead wrong from the start. Regardless, the officer spoke arrogantly and condescendingly, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was legally wrong and violating her rights according to our Constitution and her state laws. It’s simply because most people don’t understand the laws, their rights or practice them why this officer was sticking to his ignorance. Some police departments are even going as far as using their local media to distort those rights.
Officer Parker claimed he received a call about lewd acts between what the caller assumed was a prostitute and john. Daniele Watts and her white boyfriend, Chef Brian James Lucas, claim they were only kissing fully clothed in their vehicle and not doing anything wrong. Regardless, by the time the officer arrived Watts was outside of the car on the phone with her father. The officer stepped up to Lucas and asked him for her ID, not even dignifying her with an explanation. That’s when Watts interjected to the officer that her boyfriend will not be handing over her ID, then returned to her phone call. She hadn’t done anything wrong. This is where the back and forth began and things escalated.
There was one main thing wrong with Watts’ actions. Daniele Watts brought up race which I strongly disagree with, even if it was racially motivated. Black people need to stop crying racism at every drop of a hat. She already had the law on her side. Had she not made it a racial issue she would have had more deference. It backfires nowadays because it gets psychologically switched around even when the person of color is in the right. Daniele Watts now gets presented as a “race-baiter” by conservative outlets and the officer begins to come off like a cop just doing his job. Yes, black people are harassed by police very disproportionately in comparison to white people regarding just about every issue. However, appealing to white people, assuming racism and complaining will be fruitless because a large percentage simply do not care or believe it despite overwhelming statistics. Standing up for your rights as an American citizen regardless of race, class or gender is quite a different matter that is universal. The point here for all Americans is that no, this officer was not operating in accordance to the law. For all who just don’t get it—NO you are NOT required to produce identification (as a pedestrian) for an officer who walks up on you and demands it if you’re not in the act of a crime. The social problem is that most of the country ignorantly believe he was. Most legal minds and socially conscious freedom fighters understand that he wasn’t. If you’re a criminal or someone in the act of a crime, you’re a public nuisance who is stuck. If not, officers should never be in your face insisting you do ANYTHING.
It is one of the leading treatments for cheap viagra from canada erectile dysfunction is a common complication of treatments for prostate cancer. Erectile dysfunction is caused because of about viagra sans prescription cost of viagra pill poor erection quality? Many men are suffering from sexual weakness in the blood vessels and nerves. Increasing the semen volume also enhances commander viagra the chances of the organ to play hard and give true satisfaction to the users. So, this will make best pharmacy viagra the medicine cheaper where the production cost of the medicine is lower. I’m certain some people will ask why she didn’t just show her ID. They will entertain that inquiry because they don’t get it. The majority of Americans are always a step behind. The news media controlled by corporate America also keeps trying to implement this flawed perspective. This isn’t fascist Nazi Germany. You don’t have to “show your papers” when cops roll up and ask for them. The public is lied to everyday with misinformation. There is no reason for her or anyone not committing a crime to have to identify themselves to law enforcement. Instead of just doing things like handing over IDs when asked all the time, law enforcement need to be made to understand citizens’ rights. Sure they can ask but if a citizen not involved with a crime declines, the officer needs to respect that as the person’s prerogative.
When the officer arrived, he did not see the couple in any lewd activity and, therefore, had no right to require them to do anything. Any anonymous person can call about anything. Police arrive to investigate, but they have to respect their peripheries. He saw them but did not know if they were the couple someone called about, nor were these people breaking the law at that moment. He still questioned them with weird inquiries initially that both of them found insulting. When she refused to show ID, the officer decided to put her in handcuffs and arrest her. That was illegal.
Daniele Watts’ boyfriend gave in and gave the officer the ID to end the matter. After the officer got what he wanted, he let them go. Had she been taken in, the officer could have been sued for unlawful arrest and she would (should) have won. The officer’s point to her after the fact was that she would’ve been free to go if she allowed him to see her ID and check her out in the first place. The point that the officer doesn’t get is that he was wrong, she legally didn’t have to, and the Founding Father’s fought tirelessly to prevent moments such as this where an officer is feeding his ego over freedom.
This is exactly why the rolling out of stop-and-frisk programs in certain states have become so controversial. Not only is it ineffective in fighting crime and at best drags people into the system for extremely minor infractions, it’s unconstitutional. People “in the know” understand very well that it is a blatant attempt by the “powers that be” to rescind the basic human rights of citizens in a so-called free country.
Police Cheat Sheet
Knowing The Lines That Can’t Be Crossed
So many cases of people in altercations with police are popping up all over the place on social media. It didn’t end well for a lot of those cases. In a lot of those cases the cops were ‘dead’ wrong, but the people went about it the wrong way. Even when the cops are behaving illegally, people shouldn’t become agitated and resist arrest.
When you deal with police respectfully while retaining your composure, rogue police officers will have a much harder time wrongfully arresting you and may even have to stand down. When cops are called out on improper police protocol and they are aware that you are no idiot fully aware of your rights, more likely than not they will back off. If they move to unlawfully arrest you anyway, resisting won’t help. You should definitely protest and defend your rights, but not be provoked to wrath, yelling or physically resisting. More often than not, that is a no win situation.
Again there are many good cops out there, but we are seeing an abundance of goonish cops who are prone to excessive and sometimes deadly force instead of common sense mediation. People have a responsibility to know their rights and stand up for them whenever the need be. There is an NWO agenda to diminish citizen’s rights but it can only happen to a people who are figuratively asleep.
You don’t have to do whatever police ask you to do and it’s not about being disrespectful to law enforcement. It’s about being respectful to yourself and your fellow citizens by being aware, informed and upholding the rights and values that American citizens are never, ever supposed to compromise for any reason.
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Excellent article and well said. Cops always lean in and get people doing or saying things they don’t even realize they don’t have to. Too true
I guess I agree with this article for the most part, but not about the Danile Watts girl who pulled the race card. Turns out she WAS having sex with her boyfriend so the cop was completely within his right to ID her. She ran all over the news with her crap and race baiting. If you don’t want the cops ID-ing you don’t have sex in public places.
They capitalize on ignorance. Thanks for coming by willhaskel!
Jonathan. No, Daniele Watts did not have sex with her boyfriend. TMZ photos don’t change anything. I speak in legal terms, not tabloid terms.
How do I know Watts didn’t have sex? Well, because they both still say so. Also, no eye witness confirmed that, and the police officer did not see them doing anything. That is all your legal facts right there. TMZ can and will report whatever it likes.
When you work in the realms of social media for a while you start to learn all the tricks. That’s why I know those picture are complete BS that mean nothing. For example, with the same phone used to take those pictures, why didn’t the person take video–which would’ve been more revealing—if they were in fact having sex? They didn’t because a video wouldn’t have captured anything worth publicizing. Any picture taken at the right second can look a lot worse than it actually is. If a couple is making out in their car and I was recording it, not only would I be a villainous freaky creep, the video would expose how quick an uneventful it was. A picture however, captured at the right moment can look like how I want it to look like.
I feel that yes, they were making out and fooling around in their car. And yes, they should leave that stuff at home or get a room. However, I do believe them that they weren’t having full on sex and I still understand the fact that an officer doesn’t have the right to demand ID from pedestrians no matter what you or I think. Nor do the police have to be involved with everything. The media tries to control your mind with nonsense, race issues, entertainment and drama. With or without TV sensationalism laws are laws and rights are rights. There is a lot real crime out there. Watts should not have been handcuffed because an officer wanted more respect and obedience. When there is no factual evidence of crime, officers cannot treat anyone like criminals.
Great!!!! Absoluetly right. Foolish people keep on protecting these police until they end up fully militarized in your town telling you what to do.
what the fuck is wrong with all of you? “Race Card” Is a term for white people who have no understanding of institutionalized racism. “Race Cards” do not exist. Black people and other People of Color are systematically discriminated against and oppressed in America. Race is important because of this. White people will NEVER experience racism, no matter what you think. Discrimination is singular, racism is systemic. So if a person mistrusts or dislikes you because you’re white, that IS NOT racism. That is dislike-ism. It is singular.
“Race Card” is just another way to simplify racism and remove guilt from being an ineffective ally by saying it’s just paranoia on the part of the Person of Color in the conflict and by second-guessing the situation, versus just trusting someone’s experience of being unduly and constantly under the threat of persecution.
For a POC in this country, race is exceedingly important in legal matters. I know people who’ve gotten police called on them for entering their parent’s home at night because “they were suspicious”- That does not happen to white people. It just doesn’t.
SO please, people who’ve commented here, stop intellectualizing racism/blackness and just shut your mouth when people of color are talking about it because you have no noteworthy experience on the receiving end of racism. Just listen and support and be active in dismantling racism by being aware of and using your white privilege to help others. *mic drop*