How a rural community in California stopped police abuses
When I was getting into my property, the highway patrol car started flashing its lights. I stepped down and the officer started pointing out apparent…
Modesta de Jesus, offered her testimony in a press conference as to how California Highway Patrol stopped her. She believes she was targeted for being an immigrant. (Tudor Stanley)
When I was getting into my property, the highway patrol car started flashing its lights. I stepped down and the officer started pointing out apparent problems in car says Modesta de Jesus, a mother of three and a ten-year resident of Caruthers, in Fresno County, California.
But the farming community of 2,500 people, 20 miles South of the city of Fresno, isn’t the only place this scenario has played out frequently.
He then said my child wasnt properly buckled up He wrote two citations stating different things, de Jesus continued.
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This is one of the many testimonials of local residents who angrily pointed to California Highway Patrol officers for constantly stopping them for insignificant and sometimes non-existing reasons in order to find out if they have drivers licenses. When drivers couldn’t produce them, the officers then impounded the vehicles.
California law prohibits a peace officer to detain or arrest a driver solely on the belief that such person doesnt have a drivers license.
Others testimonies were of similar character. One that moved the audience was that of an entire family, with a newborn child who was left on the road under 100 degrees because its car was impounded. An impounded vehicle stays for a 30-day period of time in a deposit usually owned by the tow company till it could be recovered. But first the owner has to pay for such stay, and the traffic fine. This could average more than $1,500, which in some cases is more than a monthly income of a farmworkers family. When a someone cant afford to pay the impoundment fees, the vehicle is lost to the tow company that later auctions the vehicle.
A statewide movement against such practices took place in California in recent years.Activists saw such impounding activities as a quick way to raise revenue for local police departments while unfairly targeting working communities, particularly immigrants and people of color.
In 2012, California started to implement AB 353, a law allowing an unlicensed diver who has been stopped to call a qualified driver to take control of the vehicle in order to avoid impoundment.
Apparently, some Carutherss residents were not given this opportunity by CHP officers.
The testimonies convinced the organizations that something wasnt right with CHP actions.
