imported post
I did call my lawyer pal and described the situation, and he said that all this civil-rights lawsuit stuff sounds glamorous - sticking it to city hall must be gratifying - but it doesn't play well in real life. Unless I can demonstrate that they deliberately targeted me for some extra-legal reason (being an ethnic minority), are guilty of systematic abuses beyond stopping traffic (torturing me for confessions), then it's going to break down to my word against theirs, and they have a valid traffic citation to show for it - even though the guy could not possibly have seen my windshield until after the stop. Being in a "high drug area" is not a sufficient basis for a search of one's person or vehicle and they know this, but I can't afford to take time off work for depositions and testifying and such - that's the reality. All I can do next time is just articulate very directly that I will not "cooperate" in any manner whatsoever, will not answer any questions, and will not submit to an arbitrary search, bullshit weapon "complaint" or not (there had been no citizen's complaint made - the cop took it upon himself to check that I was "legally trasporting"my weapons only after seeing the hoslter, as if doing me a favor by checking that I was compliant). I'd be in custody now if the magazines had been loaded, that's for sure (I don't have a permit), but then knowing the law isn't everything, is it?
If I end up having to go to court over this, I will most assuredly blow the dust off my Ice-T/Body Count tape and jam "Cop Killer" at full volume while rolling through warm, wonderful Dayton. Add a noise complaint to the charge sheet next time, jerks, or does exercising your 1st amendment rights rise to the level of a "terroristic threat" yet?
-ljp