Drivers of White Vans are being treated as criminals

Vanity | Self

[SamAdams76]

You know, I would cooperate with the police totally. If that is a problem for you, so be it.

I'm not saying that at all. Those in the roadblock should cooperate fully with the police. But they should not be yanked out of the vans at gunpoint and shoved to the ground and handcuffed. Is that the kind of "cooperation" you have in mind?

[finnman69]

Sorry, but this is how 'profiling' works. The cops are doing their job, and this is one of the side effects of terrorism that likely has the sniper(s) laughing his/their ass/asses off.

[TheRedSoxWinThePennant]

when you outlaw white vans only outlaws will have white vans

[FITZ]

They can profile as long as the profile includes "white".

[Magic Fingers]

> "We are going to have to do better than that."

And that would be....?

[johnny7]

The cops are lazy and not very smart.

I don't think they're lazy but they are just paid hacks who want to give out citations and retire.

The worst nightmare for them is come across this dude/dudes in the act.

So far, all they can do is call an ambulance and target white vans.

They pray he moves into some other state.

[Ligeia]

Do we know the handcuffed man is not under arrest for some other infraction? Maybe when the driver was stopped he was in violation of the law and resisted arrest. I check four or five Virginia newspapers each day and don't remember any stories of police brutality here. For the most part, Virginians have a cordial working relationship with law enforcement.

[FITZ]

Instead of internment camps for foreigners, the whole country has to be turned into one big internment camp for citizens. I think the way they did it in WWII made more sense. It was more temporary too.

[SamAdams76]

And that would be a better description than "white van."

[Wonder Warthog]

Ah, yes---cops are our friends. They would NEVER do anything in violation of our Constitutional rights, would they.

[SunnyUsa]

"when you outlaw white vans only outlaws will have white vans" hahaha...I was saying this morning, watching the reports - I bet WHITE van sales are waaaaay down!

I even notice "white vans" in my state now....and there are alot of them!

[SamAdams76]

That's what I thought when I first saw the photos. I was willing to give the cops the benefit of the doubt. But then I followed the link to the article and it stated that there were "no arrests" made during the search.

[Tench_Coxe]

Way back, right after 9/11, folks were told to 'go about their business as normal', since one of Osama's aims was to engender the actions in the U.S. seen in the above photos.

I am certain we will begin to see more of this in the United States in the near future. In my opinion, the terrorists have won, although not without willing ( or unwitting ) help from our 'betters' in D.C. .

[EggsAckley]

Profiled! Me!! The NERVE of them!!!

That's right, profiled! *gasp* How will I ever recover from such an insult!?! Let me tell you about it.

There we were, heading off to work on a bright, sunny morning, just about to cross over the Martinez/Benicia bridge. Suddenly, out of nowhere, there's a CHP behind us, and two Calif. State Patrol cars following him.

Of course, I pulled over; there's little chance I'd try to outrun THESE guys in a Dodge Utility Van. The moment I stopped on the shoulder, the van was surrounded by officers, guns drawn, and very serious expressions on their faces.

After the initial driver's license inspection, I thought it odd that the two passengers should have to ALSO show their IDs, but I wasn't about to make a big deal over it. Then, while we were standing on the side of the road, they went into the van and took a few minutes checking out the contents (a bunch of music equipment and suitcases.)

No, I wasn't nervous, mainly because I knew that 1) I had broken no laws and, 2) there was nothing "illicit" in the van. But I WAS curious. After the inspection of the van's contents, their attitudes lightened, and they began to apologize for the inconvenience.

They then explained to us that they were conducting a manhunt, and the suspect vehicle was a Dodge Utility Van. The van in question wasn't the same color as mine, but they weren't taking any chances.

Of course, this case of profiling took place nearly thirty years ago, when three men hijacked a school bus full of children and then took the children (in the van) to a remote locale. There, they locked the children in a buried container. Is this sounding familiar?

How did I react to this case of "profiling?" Well, I certainly did NOT contact my lawyer and whine about my civil rights. My reaction at the time was (and still is,) "hey, there are the lives of children at stake here. Search my van all you want, and then go and stop every other van you can find."

Profiling? Pfffftt! Yes, my van was the wrong color, and yes, they were looking for three men, not a woman driving a van. But can I fault them for being desperate to find those kids? Lives were at stake, and time was of the essence.

Is this ringing any bells???

[ClearCase_guy]

By the way, I was watching Network News this morning (always a mistake!) and after opening with the report of the most recent sniper attack, they cut directly to the President. He had words for the citizens to hearten them and explain the situation to them. He's a man we can look up to in this time of crisis and here's what he said:

Oops! Never mind. The President they showed was Clinton, so I turned off my TV.

[Ligeia]

I agree the photos look bad. I'm not ready to jump on the officers' case at this point with such limited information.

[Wonder Warthog]

"How do the police know the drivers are innocent? How do they know that the driver isn't the sniper? What would you have them do? You know, I would cooperate with the police totally. If that is a problem for you, so be it."

Obviously you have forgotten that the watchword in American law enforcement is supposed to be "innocent until proven guilty". Unless and until some probable cause exists, there is absolutely no justification for this cr*p (and no--merely driving a white van is NOT sufficient probable cause).

This kind of police tactic is unconscionable, but is becoming "typical police procedure". DAMN these jack-booted thugs.

[FITZ]

Something happened to me like that once. Two black men were driving a brown car and robbing highway rest areas at gunpoint. I happened to be traveling in a brown car so I pulled out of a gas station and was immediately pulled over. I guess they need to do that, and when they saw I obviously wasn't the armed robbers, they warned me not to go to the rest stops for a while until they caught the guys.

[TheRedSoxWinThePennant]

perhaps we just need a seven day waiting period to buy white vans.

[porte des morts]

Could you explain then why at every press confrence, the police go out of their way to deny the importance of white vans at the crime scene?

They continue to claim the witnesses are mistaken (this has happened since the very start, remember the white box truck/purple lettering?).

If the white van is not a clue, why are they only searching white vans?

This crime will not be solved without citizen involvement, and yet the citizens are kept in the dark as to what to be aware of.