well that was interesting

chiquimonkey

i didn't get a chance to deal with the letter(s) last night, i was thankfully doing something else much more enjoyable but here's the draft....still have to tweak and cut it down a bit i think.

addressed to the mayor:

Yesterday, on Monday, August 25th, I was driving with my sister in the car down 23rd Street to visit our mother, since our father was out of town. We both grew up in Richmond. My parents have lived there for the past 35 years, having emigrated legally from Spain. We are all U.S. citizens.

We noticed quite a bit of traffic, and presumed it was due to a car accident or construction. As we got closer to the intersection of Clinton and 23rd, we noticed the signs indicating to have our driver’s licenses ready. I have been through a DUI checkpoint before, and was surprised to see the checkpoint, since it was around 5:15pm on a Monday afternoon. None of the officers I drove past gave any indication to the reason for the checkpoint.

There were cars that didn’t have Hispanic occupants; they were waved through. My car was stopped. I was asked for my ID and I provided it. The officer did not ask to see my sister’s ID. The reaction of the people on the streets, and the selective nature of the checkpoint made it clear to me that this was not to check valid licenses, or intoxication, but rather citizenship.

Having my citizenship questioned based purely on my appearance was offensive. It is tantamount to racial profiling.

I realize in this country that citizens’ rights have been chiseled away, slowly, under the guise of “security”. The First Amendment has been a victim, and now the Fourth Amendment seems to be under fire. It was saddening to see this in action, let alone in my hometown.

It also makes me question the decisions made by the city of Richmond. When my sister and I visit our parents, whether it’s in the morning or at night, we see prostitutes walking the streets, right across from their house. However, this does not seem to be an issue to the city.

Once in a while we hear gunshots. Someone was shot multiple times just a few months ago, down the street. However, this does not seem to be an issue to the city.

I read in the paper this morning that someone was shot and killed in Richmond today, marking the 22nd reported homicide for this year so far. This time last year it was 13. Perhaps if more police were patrolling the crime-infested parts of town, maybe that number wouldn’t climb so rapidly. Perhaps if focus and resources was placed appropriately, for crime prevention and youth programs, the city would not be ranked the 9th most violent city in the U.S.

I suppose detaining a few illegal aliens is worth it though. Right?

I do not expect a response to this letter, I merely wish to call attention to the fact that it is possible to turn a bad situation around and still maintain some integrity. As it stands, the city is allowing a bad situation to get worse, and what I experienced yesterday was evidence that there is no integrity to be found.

Please start proving that the city is better than that.

Sincerely,

norm

well said b....just the right amount of indignation

chiquimonkey

cutback wrote:

well said b....just the right amount of indignation

thanks, and thanks for taking the time to read it too

justam

That's a good letter chiqui!

chiquimonkey

justam wrote:

That's a good letter chiqui!

thanks! gonna mail it out on tuesday, along with emailing it to some local papers and tv news. here's hoping i don't get a letter bomb in return or something lol

chiquimonkey

update for anybody interested lol

apparently i wasn't the only one that was pissed. my sis saw a story on the local news the day before yesterday, it seems a bunch of people bombarded the city with letters as well! so they're going to take a look at what they're doing and hopefully makes some changes.

yay!

dawng

chiquimonkey wrote:

update for anybody interested lol

apparently i wasn't the only one that was pissed. my sis saw a story on the local news the day before yesterday, it seems a bunch of people bombarded the city with letters as well! so they're going to take a look at what they're doing and hopefully makes some changes.

yay!

Very good news! Thanks for the update

PJPixie

I went thru one of these checkpoints about 5 months ago (in So Cal). I didn't feel offended at all (i'm a half - breed = half mexican/half white). It was a DRIVERS LICENSE check point:To make sure the people driving had a license and they were insured. I'm good for both so I had no problem with it, except the fact that it took about a half hour out of my day........traffic back up. I didn't read this whole thread so maybe I missed something but I feel driving is a priveledge and those that drive should be licensed and insured. The last thing I need is to be involved in an accident with someone that has neither of these. We should all follow the rules and laws. I will say that the check point that I went thru was like a mill. They must have had about 15 tow trucks there and ton's of people getting arrested for warrants. I felt really bad for the guys that got left there with their lawnmowers. Obviously these were guys just out doing their landscaping jobs but didn't have a legal right to be driving, because they didn't have a license, so they towed their trucks away.
Get a license and you won't have anything to worry about. Anyway, sorry this messed up your day Chiqui :(

**edit: chiqui, I just re-read your original post and I will say this: the checkpoint I went thru was checking the ID of EVERYONE driving. They didn't just "wave" ANYBODY thru. EVERY PERSON DRIVING HAD TO PRODUCE A DRIVERS LICENSE, maybe that is why there was so much traffic.

chiquimonkey

thanks dawn!

PJPixie wrote:

I went thru one of these checkpoints about 5 months ago (in So Cal). I didn't feel offended at all (i'm a half - breed = half mexican/half white). It was a DRIVERS LICENSE check point:To make sure the people driving had a license and they were insured. I'm good for both so I had no problem with it, except the fact that it took about a half hour out of my day........traffic back up. I didn't read this whole thread so maybe I missed something but I feel driving is a priveledge and those that drive should be licensed and insured. The last thing I need is to be involved in an accident with someone that has neither of these. We should all follow the rules and laws. I will say that the check point that I went thru was like a mill. They must have had about 15 tow trucks there and ton's of people getting arrested for warrants. I felt really bad for the guys that got left there with their lawnmowers. Obviously these were guys just out doing their landscaping jobs but didn't have a legal right to be driving, because they didn't have a license, so they towed their trucks away.
Get a license and you won't have anything to worry about. Anyway, sorry this messed up your day Chiqui :(

oh believe me, i feel the same way about driving being a privilege! a couple months after i got my license, i got into an accident (not my fault) but the other person had no license, no insurance, and it wasn't even their car! so definitely, people need to be responsible.

and if that was the true intention of the checkpoint, then sure, i'm all for it. the fact they were *clearly* being selective based on ethnicity is what disturbed me. who's to say the person they let go ahead of me didn't have a warrant out? if illegal immigrants were the city's ONLY problem, then fine, focus on it. but they have bigger fish to fry.

i always have my ID on me no matter where i am, i'll definitely be sure it's on me when i visit my parents, lest i get deported somewhere lol

i'm just glad others saw it too and spoke up, makes me glad i sent my 2cents in, always trying to put a positive spin on things

Ghetto Star

..."at least DUI checkpoints get people off the road...blah"

Really...sometime take a look through the constitution...bill of rights...any of those old documents...that is important stuff...i mean...are you really willing to give up freedoms so some cop can make his job easier...where is that guy with the ben franklin quote about not deserving freedom or protection for trading freedom for protection...

How much are you willing to give?

chiquimonkey

Ghetto Star wrote:

..."at least DUI checkpoints get people off the road...blah"

Really...sometime take a look through the constitution...bill of rights...any of those old documents...that is important stuff...i mean...are you really willing to give up freedoms so some cop can make his job easier...where is that guy with the ben franklin quote about not deserving freedom or protection for trading freedom for protection...

How much are you willing to give?

"Those who would trade in their freedom for their protection deserve neither"

rock on ben!

and i wholeheartedly agree. it's sad that people have to be reminded of such things!

the wolf

chiquimonkey wrote:

danimal - being carded for a bar is a different thing as that is a question if you are old enough to drink. not that you belong in this country.

im not by any means saying this was right in anyway but............

this statement just kinda got me thinking. ( dangerous i know )

the reason they are carding you in a bar is indeed to see if you are old enough to drink. why? because its illeagal to serve underage patrons, and illeagall for underage people to purchase alcohol.

so that brings the question

it is illeagal for some people to be in our country, so why is it bad to check i.d.'s to see if someone belongs. especially if it is an area known for illeagals.

like i said, its just a question. i'm on this fence about this whole issue as it is. and someone very close to me is dating someone that is an illeagal, and he is a good stand up guy. but he is still here illegally.

sorry you had to go through this though.

chiquimonkey

the wolf wrote:

im not by any means saying this was right in anyway but............

this statement just kinda got me thinking. ( dangerous i know )

the reason they are carding you in a bar is indeed to see if you are old enough to drink. why? because its illeagal to serve underage patrons, and illeagall for underage people to purchase alcohol.

so that brings the question

it is illeagal for some people to be in our country, so why is it bad to check i.d.'s to see if someone belongs. especially if it is an area known for illeagals.

like i said, its just a question. i'm on this fence about this whole issue as it is. and someone very close to me is dating someone that is an illeagal, and he is a good stand up guy. but he is still here illegally.

sorry you had to go through this though.

it's a good question.

in my opinion, people commit crimes all the time. speeding, not making complete stops, smoking weed. i guess my beef with it was besides the fact it was violating the 4th amendment, it was also prioritizing something that in the grand scheme of things should be on the bottom of the ladder.

like i said, if the city had no other problems, if their crime rate was zero, if they hadn't had a homicide in years, then by all means, devote resources and attention to it. but if i have to choose between having some illegal immigrants in the neighborhood (a lot of whom keep to themselves and try to get by) or some violent people killing folks....i'll go with the lesser of two evils.

i agree it's a difficult issue for sure. like i said before, it's not right for people to be here illegally when everybody else has to come in on the up-and-up like my parents did, but by the same token, there are other things that take priority. i guess it's an issue of balance and not violating the rights that citizens DO have.

nick1977

That really is awful. Illegal immigratoin is a problem, but I don't know that id checkpoints is the way to solve that problem. I don't know that that is Constitutional.

chiquimonkey

nick1977 wrote:

That really is awful. Illegal immigratoin is a problem, but I don't know that id checkpoints is the way to solve that problem. I don't know that that is Constitutional.

that's my feeling, it's a waste of valuable resources and it doesn't solve the problem. it definitely felt like a violation to me, was a surreal moment for sure.