Woman Arrested for Warning People About Speed Trap!

Originally posted by nixie_nox
reply to post by roadgravel

 

When the person is obstructing justice, yes.

Except she was NOT obstructing justice. If that crime was committed she would have been charged with it, not for standing in the street.

People are making up case that does not exist.

Originally posted by WeRpeons

The term "disrupt lawful processes" can be used to justify the police actions.

No, it can't. Preventing a potential future crime isn't disrupting a lawful process. If somebody were speeding when they saw the sign, and the slowed down upon seeing the sign, the woman would be disrupting an unlawful process.

The argument that the police have a right to be pissed off because the woman stopped crimes from being committed is maybe one of the most idiotic arguments I've ever heard.

She didn't stop police from arresting speeders. She stopped people from driving over the speed limit. The end result is that the police had nobody to pull over because nobody was speeding as a result of the woman's actions.

And more to the point, surely the 1st Amendment extends to a person's right to encourage others to NOT break laws, and to turn a possible lawbreaker into becoming a law abiding citizen.

Are we really so far gone that people don't get simple concepts like this anymore? How can anybody side with the police, or even sympathize with the police in this situation?

I agree the actions of the police in the way they handled the situation were wrong, but have any of you had a child killed by a speeding driver?

The police used to set up a trap outside my house all the time.

I started taping a sign to a pole a few blocks down the street that read, "SLOW DOWN! POLICE AHEAD!"

After weeks of them taking the sign down and me making a new one and putting it back up...they eventually stopped coming around here.

I imagine they didn't move too far away, but at least I don't have to look at them anymore.

There should have been 10 people...in her absence. That's the ONLY WAY...the harassment will stop. It will stop, when people realize...there is power in #'s!!!!

"Hey citizens, speeding is dangerous and can injure or even kill you or others, so we don't want you to do it! If we see you speeding, we're going to politely pull you over and warn you about the dangers of excessive speed!"

p.s. However, if you encourage others not to speed, we're going to arrest you on bogus charges and try to imprison you for several years.

reply to post by UltimateSkeptic1


Well, how interesting! More proof that these laws are NOT to protect people's lives, but ONLY to generate revenue for the government.

Originally posted by Bkrmn
I agree the actions of the police in the way they handled the situation were wrong, but have any of you had a child killed by a speeding driver?

No, why? It's already illegal to kill someone, what more do you want? A child can be killed by a myriad of things, even an NON-SPEEDING vehicle.

It's apparent, that eventually, the citizens will set traps for the trap setters (in this case the cops)...

Cop's are making it an open season on them soon to come, because they are not protecting the safety of the community, but in coalition with the bankers and the politicians as a mafia cartel...

Could you imagine what will soon happen? (by simple logical deductions)...

"Bait sets up a hook such as doing this again... cops come a calling, begin to get into a scuffle with the bait, not realizing that from everywhere suddenly appear an entire crowed of people, and descend upon them like locusts, leaving nothing but broken remains on the ground, and a burning hulk for a vehicle, with a copy of the Constitution, Bill Of Rights, and The Declaration Of Independence at the scene, with certain lines highlighted in all of them...

Tactically it would be guerrilla maneuvers, eventually masticating into a nation wide retaliation...

Cops truly would fear the public (and rightfully so) then...

That type of scenario can happen, and eventually "will" happen, if they keep pushing the citizens, into a corner, because when they have nowhere else to go, then all that is left is to push back.. 300+ million pushing back...

Not a nice scenario either, but it is easy to see this as an eventual outcome of a long line of abuses perpetrated upon the population...

Cops no longer serve and protect, now they "Punish & Enslave"...

Back in the day when I did a lot of travelling there used to be signs warning of speed traps ahead.
There should be more of them.

And as to the flashing lights - it used to be that when driving at night and you were coming up on a car moving more slowly than you were, you would flash your lights to let him know that you were going to pass him.

reply to post by UltimateSkeptic1



While I usually don't have much positive to say about police in general, if you're speeding enough to warrant them pulling you over in a speed trap, you deserve exactly what you get.

if you're going 5-10(km) over the limit, they aren't likely to bother you (with a fine anyways, most likely just a warning) as they are probably more concerned with the morons going 30-40km over the speed limit.


They're performing a public service. Speed limits are something we ALL are aware of from the second we start driving, and none of us have any excuse for being caught speeding excessively.

Granted, I agree that what this girl was doing DOES NOT warrant being searched and arrested.

Originally posted by OhZone
Back in the day when I did a lot of travelling there used to be signs warning of speed traps ahead.
There should be more of them.

And as to the flashing lights - it used to be that when driving at night and you were coming up on a car moving more slowly than you were, you would flash your lights to let him know that you were going to pass him.

This is why the police perpetuate the unfounded rumor that as part of a gang initiation, gangs would drive around with their lights off, waiting for somebody to flash their head lights. The rumor was that the gangs would then follow the car and murder whoever flashed their headlights.

In November of that year, John Moore, senior research associate at the National Youth Gang Center based in Tallahassee, stated that to the best of his knowledge the "Lights Out" legend is completely false: "I know of no incident in the country where this type of thing occurred," he told a reporter for the Washington Post. "This is one of the wonders of the Internet, that you can take something that has no basis in fact and make people believe it." Nevertheless, probably because they fear the possibility of copycat outbreaks, some law enforcement agencies still recommend that motorists play it safe and refrain from flashing their headlights when driving in areas where gang activities are known to occur.

Source

I do understand the reasoning for this charge, as she was obstructing justice. However, with that said: The ultimate goal of any legal system is, at least when doable, to PREVENT crime; After the fact punishment should be looked at as a fallback, and as a deterent, again to PREVENT crime.

This woman, through her actions, was certainly causing people who were otherwise speeding to slow down, much as they often do anyways at well known 'radar spots,' most likely being as effective as, or possibly even more effective, at actually slowing traffic down to reasonable speeds than the actual cop presence was, and at no expense to the taxpayer.

In short, she was doing more for the good of the community than the police, in their own 'area of expertise' without any of the cost, and this is why she is being made an example of; can't have any competition for Big Brother now, can we?

Here in Canada awhile back some kids got in trouble for doing the same thing. Funny thing is the local radio station is allowed to give us a heads up of speedtraps....

Where I live, these "speed trap" locations are advertised by the morning news every day.
It is not illegal to warn someone of an impending ticket, and I believe charging her with obstruction of justice is absolutely ludicrous. Is that what they call justice now? More like obstruction of revenue.

The only crime here is the LEO violating her civil rights.

We don't really know if she slowed anyone down, whether anyone who passed her was speeding, or that her sign prevented a ticket from being written.

As one user commented there are radio stations where folks snitch out speed traps as well as phone apps that alert users of such traps when near. Do we want them shutting down radio stations and taking down web sites in order to sneak around and setup revenue road blocks? Likely the radio stations probably get people to slow down with very few taking alternate routes so that they can speed.

I don't have a problem with speed enforcement operations as I know it keeps us all on better behavior in regards to following posted speed rules.

However we all know that there are certain peoples and jurisdictions whom abuse the power given to them and do nothing but line their pockets like highway robbers. That is not in the spirit of law. The powers given to LE were not intended to be used for a specific group to benefit themselves or their organization.

Originally posted by MrJohnSmith


Anyway, if you aren't speeding, what's the problem ?

That's not the issue at all actually... people speed sometimes and catch themselves and slowdown... cops speed... people go slow.... cops go slow... that's the smoke and mirrors to the situation.

The direct issue for this matter, and why the pigs even care about some sign, is the fact that the police are being manipulative, entrapping, and she is bringing that AWARENESS to light. Even if I'm going the speed limit, I want to know who, what, and where is my opposition.

And to the person who think that looking in her bag was irrelevant to the situation. Actually, that is expected action. They want to find something illegal on her, something that'll stick, something that can smear her image in the eyes of others. It's practically protocol.

So people want to say she is wrong along the lines that a person might be speeding, she her, slow down and not possibly get a ticket. There are many people who speed a lot but slow down in areas where tickets are quite often given. (known trap areas).

Hard to believe that people think that her slowing down traffic is some crime or not helping with safety.
For the obstruction people, please show the Texas statute that shows she committed a crime of obstruction.

Theres this one lady here who does 20 mph in my alley,its pure dam nutts.

Theres also the speeders who tail gait you,wanting to do 85 in a 55-60 mph speed limit.

Alot of these speeders are not late for there wedding or late for work.
There just rude drivers.

Sure its a trap,we could tack on 3 cents a gallon of gas tax where we would not have to do this,would that solve this?

On the high way I can kinda under stand,but we have a few, that tailgate at 85 mph behind you less than 5 feet

I want to drive 50 mph down a residential street and should get a ticket?

This woman must not have a job and live on tax payers money?.
Is she a concerned parent,worried about children on there bikes?

The people who speed have caused alot of sadness.
Most accidents are caused by not enuff distance and a tad heavy on the peddle.

I can sit and watch idiots speed here next to a highway,outside last year a motorcycle guy exploded doing 60 in a 30,a quick fast rpm jump.
He could of killed somebody but killed himself.

Was he evil and bad,no,but you can hurt others and yourself.

Where does one draw the line here?
If I go into target, and give photos of the store security guards, am I cutting down on crime doing a good deed?

Or get on the CB and let others know of a DWI checkpoint at such and such?

Theres quite a few people who die from speeders,a nice gentle old man in Mnpls was hit by a speeder while he was on the sidewalk,loved by neighbors and helped children cross the street,he gardened and also raised Monarch butterflys as a hobby.

Lets just slow down,life is important.

All I can say.

Perhaps the obstruction of justice law should be revised to include that the discouraging of those who would have broken (or are breaking) the law, or encouraging safe driving, and behavior is illegal as well.
Allow me to rephrase: It is illegal only while impeding revenue generating activities by public servants, such as these police officers.