Cop-watchers look for racial profiling on the streets of Phoenix

Originally posted by abecedarian

In turn, this will justify all of the people that believe the law will not lead to profiling, by way of it already happening

So... umm....
Let's just assume you are a member of the police force and pull a car over for excessive speed (and in Arizona that could mean in excess of 80 MPH) and ask politely, in English as any officer of the law should do, for driver's license, registration and proof of insurance... and the driver responds with "Que'?", "Como?" or "No hablo Ingles." Now what?

At this point we've reached one of those points within the issue: catering to people who do not "want" to become part of the culture of the United States of America and instead are more than happy remaining tied to where they come from because they have no incentive to become "American" since we provide applications for driver's licenses, and well most everything else for that matter, in many different languages while expecting law enforcement to be able to do their job in one language.

So as an officer of the peace, what would you do? Would your apprehensions be raised because the driver you just pulled over doesn't speak, or at least have a rudimentary understanding with relation to operating a motorized vehicle within the USA, of the English language?

[edit on 5/13/2010 by abecedarian]

NO!! It is NOT required that everyone legally here speak English. if someone speaks a different language than the cops, then the cops must either let him go, or get an interpreter, IF the cop has grounds to proceed at all.

Lets say that a tourist speaks no English. he gets stopped by a cop for some petty traffic excuse. Should the tourist have to sit in a jail cell for God knows how long before the cops get a translator? NO!! Unless the cops have GROUNDS to believe that the person is committing a crime, they must let them go.

We do NOT have to prove our innocence...the cops must prove guilt. All this is because the cops want US to prove our innocence over and over to their satisfaction, and that is wrong.

ASSUMING is wrong, and arresting to check out someone is wrong. Cops today should just write the ticket and let it go....arresting everyone that does not speak English is madness.

Years ago there was a case where the cops arrested a man for walking down a road....he was a few miles from the scene of a big marijuana bust, but there was ZERO evidence linking him to the site. A cop pulled over and tried to question him, but he spoke English haltingly and spoke a form of Jamaican patois. The cops report said that' the suspect was ' speaking gibberish ' and assumed he was somehow linked to the site of the bust.

The court threw out the charge and told the cop that' just because an officer does not comprehend the language does NOT mean that he was speaking ' gibberish', just a known language that the cop was unfamiliar with".. Of course the cop violated the mans rights by arresting him...but so what else is new?

We communicate with cops while driving with our papers....ALL that a cop needs to know is on the papers. They do NOT need to know where you are going or where you have been or what your passengers names are...refuse any and all questions and tell the cop that he can argue with your attorney...you will NOT give up your rights to remain silent.

Racial profiling ?
Let's see Arizona borders mexico, most mexicans have brown skin, and most of the ILLEGAL immigrants in Arizona are mexican. Should the cops be stopping people of every color to check their status ?
If a black man goes into a womans bathroom is it racial profiling if the cops arrest him? Get real people!

Originally posted by Marked One

Originally posted by madhadder545
reply to post by Marked One

 

BULL!!!!This is not there job there looking for a reason!!
I live in Arizona and I wish that antone "NOT" living in AZ hush!!We have a serious problem here and a majority of the peeps are not racist!! they just want the government to take action!!

I agree with you. And they should do the same thing here in Texas. Again; what I can't get over is how they keep calling it "Racial-Profiling". Being Hispanic/Latino is NOT a race. It's an ethnicity.

And if these two cop-chasers want their project to be successful? They shouldn't have let themselves end up on CNN. Because I think they're going to end up getting their asses kicked by Cops.

Kinda like this dude.

So, you are of the belief that the police are so brazen and vicious and lawbreaking that they will likley harrass, or beat, a citizen for using his Rights? It sickens the civilized mind to read posts like yours...you predict that the cops will; VIOLATE the Constitutional Rights of the photographers...and ' kick the asses' of anyone that tries to document the cops actions. You must have a very low opinion of the cops...well deserved I might add, but if a cop will retaliate and violate the law and beat innocent people just because they try and film in public, totally legal..then that cop needs to be arrested, charged, convicted and thrown in a Federal prison for a decade or so until they see the light.

If you had your way, the civil rights marches would never have happened, would they? The cops abuse of people should always be hidden and secret, right? You want to forbid the People from seeing the dirty deeds of the cops? Why? What on earth is gained by cops becoming even worse thugs than they are now?

Originally posted by abecedarian

In turn, this will justify all of the people that believe the law will not lead to profiling, by way of it already happening

So as an officer of the peace, what would you do? Would your apprehensions be raised because the driver you just pulled over doesn't speak, or at least have a rudimentary understanding with relation to operating a motorized vehicle within the USA, of the English language?
[edit on 5/13/2010 by abecedarian]

I know I would sure as hell want to get him deported. Me personally I ran across an illegal immigrant at my job. I asked my boss why we couldn't do anything about it. He said "The border patrol won't come out here for just one illegal. If it was a house or apartment full of them then yes but otherwise not for one."

And I can very much sympathize with people out there who feel that if you live in America you need to speak English. Even though I'm someone who doesn't necessarily mind needing to learn to speak Spanish for these people because Spanish isn't the only foreign language I know. I know 2 or 3 other languages.

I remember there was some VA-clinic up in Pennsylvania or somewhere can't remember precisely. You call the clinic and the answering-system says "For English; press one. For any other language; press 9 to hang up. This is the United States Of America and our language is English."

Originally posted by richierich
...you predict that the cops will; VIOLATE the Constitutional Rights of the photographers...and ' kick the asses' of anyone that tries to document the cops actions. You must have a very low opinion of the cops...

I didn't say they would violate anyone's constitutional rights in the process of handling unruly photographers. My point is if the photographers take their little project too far and impede the police in performing their duty in the process. Then yeah they're in for a rude-awakening. And I do not understand what you mean by saying that I have a low opinion of cops. At my job I work around cops. So what your saying doesn't make any sense.

reply to post by Marked One


UNRULY photographers? What a laught!! Show us some examples PLEASE of cops properly arresting and charging a photog that was being ' unruly'. What you mean is that if a cop does not want to be filmed, he can just chase a photog away and claim he was' interfering'..? Nonsense.

Cops HATE being filmed because of aONE simple reason: They OFTEN violate the law and the regulations when operating...and do not want proof of it. Thats all. They hate to think that their lies, bullying, intimidations and coercions will come back and bite them, and so they hate photogs.

Thats a fact. Another fact is this: You must have a low opinion of cops because you admit that they will violate rights...but it is Ok by you...right?

We have the RIGHT to film in public places....and to film cops..and if a cop does not like it, then too bad.

reply to post by richierich


Remember when Princess Diana was killed?

www.cnn.com...

Photographer interference alleged.
A police report on the accident says photographers pushed back the first officer on the scene as he tried to reach the victims. Because of the swarm of photographers, all the officer was able to glimpse of Diana before more police arrived to help him was "a blonde head," the report says, quoting from the first notes scribbled by investigators 20 minutes after the crash.

The above example is common. They're like the same photographers and news-reporters who you see on TV covering a hurricane and you see debris flying around behind them and you'd be thinking "Run you idiot! Before you get killed! We know there's a hurricane. That's why everybody is gone and you're the only idiot that is there."

And how am I admitting that cops will violate rights? Me personally; I don't have a problem being filmed. At one point I had some Canadian tourists snap my picture from across the River-Walk as I handcuffed a dude who was trespassing on a construction site I was pulling security for. And I'm a security guard. And believe me I have more to fear from photographers than a police-officer would.

[edit on 5/14/10 by Marked One]

reply to post by Marked One


You quote ONE incident....and it involved a famous person at an unprecedented moment in time..and you say it is ' common'. Please link to a few other examples..if you can. Lets face it: REALITY is this:

The VAST majority of photographers never interfere with anyone doing their job. Most will do as told when ordered to move. Papparazzi stalking a celeb is NOt the common scenario when photogs deal with cops. MOST of the time it is independent or paid photogs from local news, or interested citizens. Both enjoy Rights to film anything they wish as long as it is in public.

The police commonly photograph people...protesters of various types, etc. anybody they want to...right? Well, there is no law saying a cop has more photography rights than we do. the cops cannot legally stop filming just because it offends them for some unknown reason or because the cop simply dislikes being photographed. many times we see films of cops abusing people with a camera and the cops can give no reason...they just scream " turn it off!!' and falsely arrest those who refuse and charge them with bogus charges and do not care if it gets dismissed because they have had the sick freak thrill of getting the last word in and ruining your day.

nice guys huh?

Originally posted by richierich
reply to post by Marked One

 

You quote ONE incident....and it involved a famous person at an unprecedented moment in time..and you say it is ' common'. Please link to a few other examples..if you can. Lets face it: REALITY is this:

The VAST majority of photographers never interfere with anyone doing their job. Most will do as told when ordered to move. Papparazzi stalking a celeb is NOt the common scenario when photogs deal with cops. MOST of the time it is independent or paid photogs from local news, or interested citizens. Both enjoy Rights to film anything they wish as long as it is in public.

The police commonly photograph people...protesters of various types, etc. anybody they want to...right? Well, there is no law saying a cop has more photography rights than we do. the cops cannot legally stop filming just because it offends them for some unknown reason or because the cop simply dislikes being photographed. many times we see films of cops abusing people with a camera and the cops can give no reason...they just scream " turn it off!!' and falsely arrest those who refuse and charge them with bogus charges and do not care if it gets dismissed because they have had the sick freak thrill of getting the last word in and ruining your day.

nice guys huh?

The cops try to take the camera because the footage is evidence.

Originally posted by Marked One

Originally posted by richierich
reply to post by Marked One

 

You quote ONE incident....and it involved a famous person at an unprecedented moment in time..and you say it is ' common'. Please link to a few other examples..if you can. Lets face it: REALITY is this:

The VAST majority of photographers never interfere with anyone doing their job. Most will do as told when ordered to move. Papparazzi stalking a celeb is NOt the common scenario when photogs deal with cops. MOST of the time it is independent or paid photogs from local news, or interested citizens. Both enjoy Rights to film anything they wish as long as it is in public.

The police commonly photograph people...protesters of various types, etc. anybody they want to...right? Well, there is no law saying a cop has more photography rights than we do. the cops cannot legally stop filming just because it offends them for some unknown reason or because the cop simply dislikes being photographed. many times we see films of cops abusing people with a camera and the cops can give no reason...they just scream " turn it off!!' and falsely arrest those who refuse and charge them with bogus charges and do not care if it gets dismissed because they have had the sick freak thrill of getting the last word in and ruining your day.

nice guys huh?

The cops try to take the camera because the footage is evidence.

Nonsense!!! If a cop wants a picture let him call the police photgrapher....cops have NO rights to seize personal property just because they might somehow call it evidence...that just doesn't happen. Cops do not even use that excuse...lets face it, you simply have run out of steam and are reaching....give it up.

Originally posted by richierich
Nonsense!!! If a cop wants a picture let him call the police photgrapher....cops have NO rights to seize personal property just because they might somehow call it evidence...that just doesn't happen. Cops do not even use that excuse...lets face it, you simply have run out of steam and are reaching....give it up.

How many cops do you know?

[edit on 5/14/10 by Marked One]