“Common People Do Not Carry This Much U.S. Cash…” – - How Police Justify Stealing Citizens’ Money

Liberty Blitzkrieg ^ | 10/07/2014 | Michael Krieger

[SeekAndFind]

Police confiscating Americans’ hard earned cash, as well as a wide variety of other valuables, without an arrest or conviction is a disturbing and growing practice throughput these United States. Since cops get to keep the seized funds and use the money on pretty much anything they want, the practice is becoming endemic in certain parts of the nation. The theft is often referred to simply as civil forfeiture, or civil asset forfeiture. Incredibly, under civil forfeiture laws your property is “guilty until you prove it innocent.”

The extent of the problem came to my attention last summer after reading an excellent article by Sarah Stillman in the New Yorker. The article struck such a chord with me, I penned a post highlighting it and addressing the issue, titled: Why You Should Never, Ever Drive Through Tenaha, Texas. That article ended up being one of my most popular posts of 2013.

Fast forward a year, and many mainstream publications have also jumped on the topic. Most notably, the Washington Post published an excellent article last month titled, Stop and Seize, which I strongly suggest reading if you haven’t already.

Fortunately for us all, the issue has also caught the eye of the always hilarious, John Oliver of Last Week Tonight. The following clip from his show is brilliant. Not only is it hilarious, but it will hopefully educate a wider audience about this insidious practice so that it can be stopped once and for all.

As one officer admitted in an affidavit justifying his confiscation of an innocent driver’s cash:

“Common people do not carry this much U.S. currency.”

Enjoy:

CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE VIDEO

In Liberty,
Michael Krieger

[Blood of Tyrants]

My tagline.

[cicero2k]

Take your cash, take your car, shoot your dog and colonoscopies even when DWW, DWB, DWA.

[rawcatslyentist]

Cant let them pot heads do what they want though! Fall in line citizensubject! The Police state commands it!

[Wolfie]

Funny stuff. I welcome the author to 1988.

[ozzymandus]

A small town near here made literally millions of dollars stopping cars on the interstate by a HiPo friend of the judge whenever the driver looked “suspicious”. They did score some big drug busts, but what they really wanted was the cash. They have a nice new county courthouse and a fancy new “Law Enforcement Center” next to it.

[golux]

Bump!

[tbw2]

The Institute for Justice has been fighting the search and seize method for a while, where cops consider anything you do suspicious.
Tenaha was particularly bad because they took one kid from the parents while incarcerating the adults a few nights, and threatened others with taking the kid at traffic stops by saying if you don’t sign over the money, we seize it and put you both in jail as drug offenders.

[Ronin]

I’ve agreed with your tagline for years.

[Secret Agent Man]

I’m for demilitarizing the police. the war on drugs was the fictitious story to militarize cops. if they had actually used swat on what they sold it to us on, gangs would be decimated, their gang houses in flames and pieces, and their would be raids anywhere the gangs were residing until they were locked up or dead. And if new gangs came in swat would go after them full force. This is not what swat has done. so we know that’s been a lie.

I’m also for keeping illegal drugs illegal.

I’m assuming that ending the war on drugs is a separate issue than legalizing pot, coke and heroin, and meth.

[dead]

Laws like this turn our police forces into organized crime, and then we give them awards based on how much they steal.

[ClearCase_guy]

“Commoners do not need large sums of money. It makes them think above their station.”

[MaxMax]

Only one state, North Carolina, bans the practice, requiring a criminal
conviction before a person’s property can be seized

Very telling about the state of our Nation. When they run out of legal forfeitures
they'll invent them and plant drugs. Yes they can and nobody can stop the Law.

I was thinking today, what if you called the police and they said they
were not coming, and wouldn't help. Then told you that you would be arrested
if you were assaulted and defended yourself. The Police have no legal
obligation to come to the aid of any person. Now if it were profitable, yes.

[G Larry]

I’m under no obligation to fit the mold of “the common people”, and no gov’t agent has the authority to steal my property without due process.

[hecticskeptic]

Unbelievable that this could be allowed to happen in this country. And to think that we look with disdain across our southern border at the police practices there.

[S.O.S121.500]

Had ENOUGH Yet ?

[Dalberg-Acton]

I feel safer already! :)

[familyop]

They’ll do it in CO without any drug or illegality involvement. It has nothing to do with drugs.

[dalereed]

When I bought my airplane in 1981 I took $68,000 to pay the balance owed so I could fly it home.

[B4Ranch]

>>I was thinking today, what if you called the police and they said they were not coming, and wouldn’t help. Then told you that you would be arrested if you were assaulted and defended yourself. The Police have no legal obligation to come to the aid of any person. Now if it were profitable, yes. <<

I would immediately open a business disposing of bodies that citizens did not want reported to the police. I’ll bet in 30 days I could retire.