Posted on 05/06/2015 4:29:37 PM PDT by CedarDave
Maybe he should have taken traveler’s checks.
But it’s too late for that now. All the money – $16,000 in cash – that Joseph Rivers said he had saved and relatives had given him to launch his dream in Hollywood is gone, seized during his trip out West not by thieves but by Drug Enforcement Administration agents during a stop at the Amtrak train station in Albuquerque.
An incident some might argue is still theft, just with the government’s blessing.
Rivers, 22, wasn’t detained and has not been charged with any crime since his money was taken last month.
That doesn’t matter. Under a federal law enforcement tool called civil asset forfeiture, he need never be arrested or convicted of a crime for the government to take away his cash, cars or property – and keep it.
Agencies like the DEA can confiscate money or property if they have a hunch, a suspicion, a notion that maybe, possibly, perhaps the items are connected with narcotics. Or something else illegal.
Or maybe the fact that the person holding a bunch of cash is a young black man is good enough.
Rivers said he carried his savings in cash because he has had problems in the past with taking out large sums of money from out-of-state banks.
A DEA agent boarded the train at the Albuquerque Amtrak station and began asking various passengers ... where they were going and why. When Rivers replied that he was headed to LA to make a music video, the agent asked to search his bags. Rivers complied.
Rivers was the only passenger singled out for a search by DEA agents – and the only black person on his portion of the train, Pancer said.
(Excerpt) Read more at abqjournal.com ...
Abolish DEA and decriminalize drugs.
Abolish the IRS and implement a flat tax with few deductions or write-offs.
Well, the feds can take your cash or the feds can rob your bank account. I’ll take my chances with the bank for the time being. (I’ve got enough stashed that will get me through for a little while.) But I am seriously considering digging a hole in the back yard.
I figure the same thing. Bogus story.
And some "conservatives" supported the creation of this police state because it was claimed to be necessary to fight drugs. Pathetic.
[Anybody that carries 16 grand in cash should be armed.]
That’s ridiculous. We have laws to protect people from government abuse. The best way to make sure the system works is to hold law enforcement legally/criminally accountable when they do infringe on our liberties.
I’m 100% certain that had been armed, it would not have ended with him being told to “Have a nice day” and being sent on his merry way with his money still in his possession.
[Not defending the action of the DEA but this guy is some kind of crook.]
And you know this, how?
[Hard to believe anyone would carry this amount of cash, or be this dumb.]
I’ve done this before and it’s pretty arrogant of you to assume that those who do sometimes carry thousands of dollars in cash are “dumb”. There are quite a few reasons why it’s not just the smart thing to do but why it’s sometimes absolutely necessary.
If we’re talking about a young musician who is moving to Hollywood to pursue his dream then it’s easy to understand why having a pile of cash on your person is the way to go.
“A DEA agent boarded the train at the Albuquerque Amtrak station and began asking various passengers ... where they were going and why. When Rivers replied that he was headed to LA to make a music video, the agent asked to search his bags. Rivers complied.”
Big mistake. The correct response is “take a hike, flatfoot.”
Cops are not your friends. Especially not federal cops.
L
Those are the correct responses. Thanks for listing them so clearly.
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