Posted on 05/06/2009 3:49:45 PM PDT by txnuke
The allegations against law enforcement people in Tenaha and in Shelby County, Texas are the kind of allegations you’ve heard about people in Cuba, North Korea, and the former Soviet Union. People in charge are accused of manipulating laws, blackmailing, extorting, and not giving a you know what about civil rights and common decency.
Here’s the deal: at least 150 drivers, virtually all of them African Americans or Latinos have accused the town cops of pulling them over for minor infractions. Once pulled over, the drivers are often asked if they have money. If they say yes, these drivers tell us the cops start going through the car. If police find a lot of money, they are often arrested for money laundering, with no mention of any evidence other than the money. Once they are brought to jail, they find out about a proposed deal from the cops, and often from the District Attorney of the county.
(Excerpt) Read more at ac360.blogs.cnn.com ...
Want it stopped?
Stop using color, creed, and race as a crutch and tell your friends to follow my recommendations too.
Someday a rocket scientist could very well shake your hand with respect then.
Anderson Cooper refuses to read:
www.thecolorofcrime.com
Down around Kingman Arizona, they have a good thing going.
They stop you as far away from Kingman that their jurisdiction will permit, if you have out of state plates.
They accuse you of having a twitch in your eye. They ask you if you have been drinking. When you tell them no, and you blow a zero on a breathalyzer, they accuse you of smoking pot. Then they make you go through the whole sobriety test gymnastics, and if you don’t do them perfectly (in my case I have a hard time standing on one foot), they arrest you for a DUI. Then they tow your car, for almost $600, the rate set at $7 a mile. That is why they do this at the furthest point that their jurisdiction permits.
After spending 24 hours in jail, I went to pick up my car. The owner of the towing company said to me “How do you like my good friend officer Smith?
Now tell me that the cops aren’t getting a cut of the towing fee.....
They had no probable cause to stop me, no evidence to accuse me and no reason to arrest me.
And since you are from out of state, it makes no financial sense to defend yourself, so you are automatically found guilty.
Who exactly is surprised by this and why is AC360 concerned with only these two counties in Texas?
This has been going on for decades in every city and county in the US and was given official color of law under the RICO statutes and then fortified by every locality I've ever been aware of.
It's normally not done this blatantly and normally it's got little to do with racial profiling (as cooper seems to be focused on here) but it's not new and it's not even unusual (sadly)
As reprehensible as this “franchise” is, it’s been this way for 20 some years. As soon as these federal seizure laws went into effect, law enforcement agencies have been using the unprecedented power accorded to them, to line their own pockets. The states (Texas also) know all about it. They just don’t remove the problem, for whatever reason. Remember, the states get a cut of seizure assets as well, if the state grabs the property. Money is money, and any time there’s a big pile of it sitting around people are going to find a way to grab what isn’t theirs (on both sides of the law).
As to this particular crime family, it’s just a case of thugs with badges and law degrees. They don’t have much to do with your average cop or DA. They all know what these people are.
Feel sorry for the folks that had their cash stolen by these thieves, as well as the rest of law enforcement and the legal profession that is embarrassed as the dickens about this scum. Maybe Texas will do something to clean this cesspool, but they should have done it years ago.
Exactly. The RICO law, blessed by the Supreme Court, has to be one of the WORST laws ever written as it allows the police to seize and the SPEND money it seizes and never do so much as write citation for a parking ticket. All they have to do is SUSPECT that the money MIGHT have been connected to illegal drugs.
Are you actually suggesting that this type of behavior would stop if affirmative action ended and the Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons of the world fell silent? I just want to make sure I understand what you are trying to say, because my initial reaction is that it is an incredibly stupid statement.
Shakedown cons from the likes of Jackson and Sharpton will not stop if this type of thing were miraculously eliminated nationally. Neither would cons like this one go away if the Jacksons and Sharptons in America suddenly obtained ethics.
I live in Shelby County. It’s true that the Tenaha police are bad about pulling over anybody who looks suspicious and isn’t from around here when they come up Hwy. 59, but it is also true that Hwy. 59 is a major conduit for illegal drug activity. It doesn’t extend to the sheriff’s office though, and is just a matter of overzealous small town cops who think they are somehow making a name for themselves. That kind of thing happens in a lot of places. I might also note that for a town the size of Tenaha, (population approx. 1,000) they seize a lot of drugs.
Thanks for the info. I used to live in Granbury, Texas and found this story fascinating. I now living in the socialist state of California. The twit Anderson Cooper is focusing on the race aspect of the story and ignoring many similar stories across America. IMHO, many people think all Texans are racist, and this story promulgates such a view.
heh. I just posted the story.
I am "from" Texas but now living in the socialist state of California. One of the main defendants of the civil suit is a black police officer. I agree that the twit Anderson Cooper is focusing on the race aspect of the story and ignoring many similar stories across America. IMHO, many people think all Texans are racist, and this story promulgates such a view.
As for stopping it, I don't know that its possible since the motive is money, not necessarily profiling or targetting of the victims for racist reasons or something. Only the voters and citizens of the town can really make a difference.
Hate crimes are thought crimes and should not be on the books, in my opinion. Actions can be illegal, but motives are not.
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