Washington Post: A former Marine was pulled over for following a truck too closely. Police took nearly $87,000 of his cash.
- The officers did not arrest Stephen or charge him with any crime. They just took his life savings and left him on the side of the road without enough money to even afford gas to drive home.
- He is considered guilty of having illicit cash until he can hire a lawyer to prove that he is innocent.
Greenville News: Civil Asset forfeiture hurts African Americans most
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- Stephen is a 39-year-old retired Marine from Lubbock, Texas. He is a devoted father of two teenage daughters and, once a month, he drives from Texas to see them in California, where they live with their mother. Eager to be closer after spending the pandemic in Texas caring for his elderly parents, he has been shopping for a home near the California-Nevada border.
- In February 2021, Stephen was making his usual trip west through Reno when he was pulled over by the Nevada Highway Patrol for supposedly following a tractor-trailer too closely.
- The officer complimented Stephen’s driving, thanked him for observing the speed limit, and explained that NHP was “conducting a public information campaign” to help drivers avoid danger. Confident that the officer was only there to help, Stephen cooperated with his escalating investigation, even volunteering that he was carrying a large amount of cash.
- Ninety minutes later, Stephen had been robbed of his life savings—$86,900—which he carried with him after a spate of robberies in his parents’ neighborhood. The officer who pulled Stephen over wanted to let him go; he was overruled by NHP Sergeant Glenn Rigdon, who ordered the money seized specifically so that it could be “adopted” by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
- “Adoption” is a process by which federal law enforcement agencies can take over a seizure by state and local law enforcement. If the federal government is successful in forfeiting the property, its “equitable sharing” program guarantees the state or local agency that seized the property up to 80% of the proceeds for use in the agency’s budget.
- In Stephen’s case, the DEA sat on his life savings for months, ignoring the legal deadlines requiring it to charge Stephen with a crime, begin a civil forfeiture case against his property, or return the money within six months of seizure. The DEA did none of those things. So, on August 30, IJ sued it in federal court on Stephen’s behalf.
- Early the morning of September 1, the agency announced it would return all of Stephen’s money. In less than 24 hours, it had learned of our lawsuit, answered hard questions from The Washington Post, and committed to reviewing its policies for federal adoptions.
- When we learned he would be getting his money back (filled with joy), he told us, “This isn’t over.”
- And it isn’t. At the same time we filed in federal court, we also filed a major constitutional challenge in state court. Our state case aims to make federal adoptions impossible in Nevada as violations of the state constitution’s guarantees of reasonable seizures supported by probable cause and due process of law—not based on mere suspicion or for the financial benefit of the seizing agency. If we are successful, it will be the first time a state court has struck down federal adoptions. And a victory will take the profit motive out of roadside seizures.
Filmed with a Canon C70 with a 50mm 1.2 lens. Aputure 300d, 120d, and amaran.
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(VIDEO) Cop Admits To Finding Reasons To Pull People Over
This police officer not only admits to abusing her power, but seems proud to do this. Entitlement like this is exactly why we need police reform, and Jeff Wiggins breaks it down on Rebel HQ.
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Translation: “(While Im on duty, Im going to break laws when I want to. If you are in the way of me breaking the law, I will find a way to give you a citation and cost you money and time)”
Nothing to see here folks. She took a course for a few weeks and earned herself a shiny badge so never mind the fact that she is literally here on video telling you she doesn’t understand the law and will actually violate your rights and the law on a whim… its, thin blue line and all that fun stuff so…. yeahhhh. You’re the bad guy if you come across her.
Why Louisiana Stays Poor
With all Louisiana’s wealth in natural resources and industry, WHY DO WE STAY SO POOR?
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Wow, as an outsider (not from Louisiana) I’ve visited the state numerous times, and the impression is always the same—shocking poverty and decay. I’ve always thought of Louisiana as an under-developed state that has just been passed-by the 20th & 21st Centuries. To learn that economically, it’s a very wealthy state with huge economic production and growth from which residents are deriving little to no benefit SCREAMS exploitation. This is a clear lesson in the vital importance of taxes and how they are used.
“No one will really understand politics until they understand that politicians are not trying to solve our problems. They are trying to solve their own problems – of which getting elected and re-elected are number one and number two. Whatever is number three is far behind.”
Evidence: US is not a democracy | Princeton University study
US / Western propaganda always says that the US bombs and invades other countries in order to promote democracy and freedom. They apply brutal sanctions that deprive innocent people of medicines and food. They overthrow other nations’ governments by secretly working with extremists and separatists in those nations and install pro-US regimes. They do this ALL in the name of democracy when the fact is they don’t even have one! It’s insanely mind-boggling but, that’s just what propaganda does. It twists logic and reality to the point where words and actions are meaningless.