My hispanic friend has been pulled over more than 10x for no reason in H.B. (San Diego: crime, neighborhood)

[cnev3]

his driving has been perfect. and if he was swerving, driving too slow or fast, they would definitely have used that as a reason to pull us over, and told me that when i asked why we did get pulled over.

lets just say that I drive a car that's modified, and more "suspicious" than his, i live in the same neighborhood, drive on the same streets, and i've never been pulled over without a legit reason.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by cnev3

I have a friend who's Mexican american. We have both lived in Huntington Beach our whole lives.

He's never been convicted of even a misdeminor. Spotless record. Hardworking college student and american citizen.

A few years back he started telling me how often he gets pulled over for no reason. Told me about how he took too long to pull over and had 4 guns drawn on him, and about how his father got pulled over and ticketed because he had a soccer ball keychain hanging on his rear view mirror.

At first I thought he might be exaggerating a bit.

Well last night was the FOURTH time that I have been with him in the car when he has been pulled over. Two of those times they lied and said he was swerving, these last two times they gave no reason at all.

Last night we got pulled over at the same time, coming from the same place, at a mere yards away from where we were pulled over 3 months prior.

The cop did the standard license/reg/insurance check, but he also took mine, and another passengers ID to run through the system. I ask the officer, "Why did you pull us over?". He shines his flashlight in my face and says, "Who are you??" and I reply, "I'm just asking". He says, "I'll tell you in a minute."

My friend is too intimidated by the police to question anything the police do. Rightfully so.

He makes my friend get out of the car. Pats him down, asks him a bunch of questions. He cant dig up any dirt on us, and leaves the scene. He never did answer my question or tell the driver why he pulled us over.

Can you imagine if he tried to pull over an older white guy in a new mercedes, interrogate him, pat him down, then let him go without telling him why he pulled him over? He wouldn't dare.

He's frustrated, but what can he do? Write governor terminator a letter? Complain to the department?

This is what you call harassment.

But there's nothing that can be done.

I appreciate the low crime rate in Huntington Beach. But this is ridiculous.

yes it is ridiculous, but I see both sides of any story and we are hearing only 1 side.. I will add one more comment and then I will keep my mouth shut:; we have several friends in NM who are Mexican and they resent being referred to as Mexian Americans. As the put it, they are Americans of Hispanic or Mexican decent...Just like we all are Americans of whatever decent...

Nita

[cnev3]

Originally Posted by nmnita

yes it is ridiculous, but I see both sides of any story and we are hearing only 1 side.. I will add one more comment and then I will keep my mouth shut:; we have several friends in NM who are Mexican and they resent being referred to as Mexian Americans. As the put it, they are Americans of Hispanic or Mexican decent...Just like we all are Americans of whatever decent...

Nita

mexican american, someone who is race/ethnicity is of mexico, and american is their nationality. (ie african american, asian american)
americans of mexican decent, is different how? because if you're combining race and nationality into one term then there's no difference.



anyways, i just had to vent, i guess there are no answers to be found, because like I said, what can he do?

but if anyone has any sound advice on how he can get the police to get off his back, i'd like to know.

[ferretkona]

Originally Posted by cnev3

he could be sporting a doo-rag, and rolling in a slammed impala.

So your friend looks like a gangbanger in a dropped Impala in a surf town.

cops need reasonable suspicion that a crime or violation has been committed for them to pull you over.

No, they don't. Where did you get that idea. Cops pull over anyone they want for no reason, sometimes only because they are bored. Most people have been pulled over for the mystery burnt tail light.

if an incident occured, and my friend and the cop had to go to court, and the judge asked the cop what his reason for pulling him over was, do you really think he'd say it was because of the type of car he was driving, or what he was wearing?

A cop is right in court, we are wrong. Accept it now when you are young.

[cnev3]

Originally Posted by ferretkona

So your friend looks like a gangbanger in a dropped Impala in a surf town.

well I was being sarcastic with that comment, but the point I was trying to get across was, it doesn't matter, morally or legally.

should I get pulled over in inglewood for wearing board shorts, a hurley shirt, driving a raised F-150? or pulled over in beverly hills for driving a crappy car?

Originally Posted by ferretkona

No, they don't. Where did you get that idea. Cops pull over anyone they want for no reason, sometimes only because they are bored. Most people have been pulled over for the mystery burnt tail light.

A cop is right in court, we are wrong. Accept it now when you are young.

I agree 100% that they pull BS like the fake tail light, and a cops word is always taken over yours in court (unless you have a witness), but if you're saying No they dont need a reason legally, you're wrong...

Reasonable suspicion is a legal standard in United States law that a person has been, is, or is about to be engaged in criminal activity based on specific and articulable facts and inferences.

Courts have ruled that a stop for reasonable suspicion may be appropriate in the following cases: when a person possesses many unusual items which would be useful in a crime like a wire hanger and is looking into car windows at 2am, when a person matches a description of a suspect given by another police officer over department radio, or when a person runs away at the sight of police officers who are at common law right of inquiry (founded suspicion).

Reasonable suspicion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

now show me your source of information that says a cop doesnt need reasonable suspicion (or any reason) to pull you over, detain you, and perform a pat down.

[psr13]

Well, Huntington Beach is known to have very strict cops. If you do anything illegal, there is a high chance you will get nailed for it. Also, having anything hanging from your mirror is technically illegal. Most cops just don't ticket for it. I could see it happening, there, though.

[hellaslover]

i have a question that relates to his thread: do you have the right to videotape or record the conversation with the cop once you get pulled over? do you have to let him know he's been recorded if you are inside your car (your privacy)? i ask because i 've been pulled over once for going 2 miles over the speed limit. The cop was going 65 on the fast lane and i was doing 67 and passed him, then he gets behind me and writes me up. As far as i know there is no law that says you cannot pass a cop on the street and you would have to be going 5 miles over the limit to be considered speeding, right? He even wrote on the ticket that i was going 2 miles over the limit, but i had lost my ticket and couldn't prove my case in court.
Since there are so many bully cops out there i think it would be a good idea to have proof of how you are being treated when you get pulled over.

[NCyank]

Originally Posted by hellaslover

i have a question that relates to his thread: do you have the right to videotape or record the conversation with the cop once you get pulled over? do you have to let him know he's been recorded if you are inside your car (your privacy)? i ask because i 've been pulled over once for going 2 miles over the speed limit. The cop was going 65 on the fast lane and i was doing 67 and passed him, then he gets behind me and writes me up. As far as i know there is no law that says you cannot pass a cop on the street and you would have to be going 5 miles over the limit to be considered speeding, right? He even wrote on the ticket that i was going 2 miles over the limit, but i had lost my ticket and couldn't prove my case in court.
Since there are so many bully cops out there i think it would be a good idea to have proof of how you are being treated when you get pulled over.

AFAIK any speeding is speeding (there's no 5 miles over till it counts rule) and you even made a point to flaunt it by passing him in the driving lane?? Yeah, you were going to get a ticket. LOL For future reference, the 'fast lane' is really called the passing lane. It isn't meant for speeding but to pass folks going a bit under the speed limit. LOL, sorry I'm still laughing that you actually passed a cop while speeding.

[CaliDude1]

Or he is being targeted because of his ethnicity. I know no one wants to say it, but it does happen. It happens more often than we like to admit. I'm just being real.

[breeze823]

Originally Posted by cnev3

This is over the course of several years, and I think huntington beach cops often don't have a lot to do anyways.

As far as I know there's nothing illegal about his car or what he wears, or the police would have nailed him for it.

When i've been with him when we've been pulled over it was at night, they came from behind, they couldnt have gotten a good look at his face. Besides he wears glasses and a baseball cap at all times.

So what i'm pretty sure is happening is that they run his plates, see his mexican name, and decide to move in.

We just want the cops to leave him alone.

It makes no sense. If the police are coming up from behind like you say, then they have no idea that he's mexican and I doubt they have endless amounts of time to run every plate they are behind to see if it's a mexican name. You say the police cannot see his face because he wears glasses and a ball cap at all times. Are you saying he's wearing sunglasses at night? Why? This could possibly be why he's being pulled over, can't see a dang thing he's doing.