Jaywalking Arrestee, Seattle
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What happens if you
jaywalk in Seattle on a Saturday afternoon (and
you're not carrying a shopping bag)?
Police tackle you to the pavement, hogtie you with
zipties, and toss you into the back of a
windowless van.
How can they arrest you for jaywalking
when the maximum penalty for jaywalking is a
ticket?
In case you missed it, the police have the power
to arrest and detain indefinitely any person for
any reason, as of an April 24, 2001 Supreme Court
ruling.
Doesn't that make the USA a police state?
If you define police state as a regime where
individual officers can override constitutional
protections at their discretion, then yes, the US
is a police state, and has been since before
Sep 11.
I think that's wrong. What can I do?
Assert your constitutional rights by showing
up at pro-democracy
demonstrations. That's a start. |