Hispanics blast impounding of vehicles in L.A.

EFE ^ | August 22, 2003 | Rocio Ayuso.

[sarcasm]

Los Angeles, U.S., August 22, 2003 (EFE).- Hispanics in the South L.A. municipality of Maywood are angry at what they say is a discriminatory campaign in which police are stopping Latinos and impounding the vehicles of those without a driver's license.

"We're not talking about agents of law and order but of official corruption, as though this were Latin America," an irate Felipe Aguirre of the Comite Pro Uno, an activist group organizing protests against the practice, told EFE.

In the last 12 months, more than 1,800 vehicles have been impounded from members of the Hispanic community in a town of some 40,000 inhabitants.

Although the underlying reason for the regulation is road safety, the Comite Pro Uno, supported by the nationwide League of United Latin American Citizens, or LULAC, allege the manner of enforcement in Maywood has made it a new form of racial discrimination.

"They're taking it out on the immigrant community," said Aguirre, after pointing out that the number of vehicles impounded in the community exceeded the total for the rest of the state of California.

The cars were impounded after their drivers could not produce a valid license. Latino activists say seizure of the vehicle is a drastic measure.

The vast majority of undocumented immigrants do not have a driver's license, because documentation is required in order to obtain one. The California state legislature is currently debating a bill that would allow many illegal immigrants to get a license.

Maywood is "99.9 percent Hispanic," as attested by the fact that even the council members are Latino, but the traffic cops are "all white," Aguirre said.

The activist alleges, however, that the problem is not only another instance of racial discrimination.

According to Aguirre, the massive impounding of vehicles in the Hispanic community is aimed at fattening the municipal coffers with easy money obtained from the most needy, whose cars are usually worth less than the fines that must be paid to get them back.

Such was the case with Yolanda and Paolo, a Mexican couple who in the last three months have had their Dodge Shadow - which cost $1,000 - impounded twice, and had to pay $656 each time to get it released.

"It's clear we need to resolve the problem of people driving without licenses in California, but to use traffic laws to seize the property of undocumented immigrants is not the solution," said LULAC president Hector Flores.

This situation should be debated in the state legislature, said Aguirre, who expressed hope that amid the turmoil California is presently experiencing the effort to recall Gov. Gray Davis, the embattled incumbent would see fit to authorize the state to issue licenses to illegal immigrants.

[usadave]

We invited them here with jobs, and we gave our approval for them to come by not sealing the border.

The politicians "invited" them here, not the American taxpayer. Poll after poll shows that more than 70% of Americans are opposed to illegal immigration.

[SandRat]

May I suggest using both to test/calibrate the catapults on the USS R. Reagan.

[Allegra]

Then they shouldn't be driving!

They shouldn't even be here.

[archy]

Screw the illegal majados.

Concur, but that's Mojados.

-archy-/-

[Pearls Before Swine]

The Democrats in California are trying to create a new power base from illegal aliens.

Not just California.

[WRhine]

Cops got there pretty quickly, but for some reason didn't arrest the guy.

Your brush with death because of that reckless Illegal Alien really highlights the breathtaking double standard in America today. I've heard similar stories--many with bad endings. You are so fortunate.

It's beyond outrage, beyond mind-boggling, beyond all the senses that our so-called "Leaders" purposely exempt these Criminal Invaders from many of our laws while the very Citizens who OUR government is “supposed" to Represent are forced to follow the “letter of the law” right down to the seat belts...or else. This is pure and simple Tyranny in Action.

Every year across our land Illegal Aliens kill, murder, maim, injure, rob, assault umpteen thousands of Americans and just about all these crimes on Americans go unreported or under-reported. Yet if some crazed Islamo Fascists kill a few thousand people in one murderous act it is rightfully called for what it is...TERRORISM and the story dominates news coverage for months.

What is this government-sponsored Mexican/3rd World Mass Invasion of our country but Slow Motion Terrorism Against the American People. A kind of Terrorism that runs up more American Victims than any Muslim Terrorist could ever possibly dream of. To say nothing of how this secular invasion of our borders is unraveling our sovereignty as a nation, allowing Mexican Operatives to interfere with our political process, throwing Americans out of work, depressing wages, tilting elections to the Socialists and leveling a staggering multi-billion dollar welfare burden on American Taxpayers.

In our upside down, multi-cultural, politically correct, socialist AmeriKa nothing apparently has to make sense.

To get back any semblance of reality (sanity) in this country every politician that enables, supports, encourages or otherwise defends this Epic Invasion of America MUST be Identified, Removed from Office and thrown out to the street...some IMO need to be charged with High Treason.

[xm177e2]

The politicians "invited" them here, not the American taxpayer.

We elected them, we are responsible for their actions.

[moodyskeptic]

How it works here: 40% of hispanics drive with no licence and of course no insurance. They drive cheap rattlebuckets on purpose because if they hit something they simply RUN. Insurance is sky-high as a result.

A common joke here is when you see a Mexican driving a crappy car, you say Uninsured!. Hah. Not that funny.

Just another insane cost that gets overlooked. We voted prop 187 in, but the Democrats took it away.

[Tancredo Fan]

Not just California.

Not just Dems. Look at the unfortunate likes of David Dreier, Chris Cannon, John McCain, Jim Kolbe, etc etc. Bunch of cretins.

[Major_Risktaker]

Hector's BIO!

LULAC’S Civil Right Manual pg. 109

LULAC, at all levels of the organization,
should be eager and ready to assist the INS
carry out its law enforcement and
naturalization functions not by spying and
telling on suspected illegal immigrants; but
rather, offering concrete solutions on how to
improve relations with the Hispanic community.
To that end, the organization endorses the
following components, among others, that the
Commission recommends in its report:

____________________________________________________________________

Well Hector, please assist the INS anyway you can.

[m18436572]

Regardless... they are responsible.

[Steve0113]

OK. It sounded like they were in the cars that were being towed. Thanks.

[Old Professer]

We need to seal the borders and stop mistreating the illegal immigrants who are already here. We invited them here with jobs, and we gave our approval for them to come by not sealing the border. We can't blame them for reading between the lines and accepting our invitation to come and work.

If you don't have a mouse in your pocket, you better turn those "we's" in "I's."

[usadave]

We elected them, we are responsible for their actions.

The only person's actions that I'm responsible for are my own.

[Tancredo Fan]

We need to seal the borders and stop mistreating the illegal immigrants who are already here.

We need to seal the borders, all right, and we need to round up and deport the illegal aliens who have unlawfully squatted here. You were almost correct. Nice try, but no cigar for you.

[FITZ]

In other words: We'll invite you here to come work for us, but we don't have to give you basic civil rights because we can pretend you're here without our consent, and then we'll steal from you whenever we can. Of course, if it was so bad here, illegals wouldn't keep coming across the border. Still, this is obviously wrong. The state is stealing from these people because it's greedy.

We're not mistreating them by not allowing them to drive with no insurance or licenses. Why aren't they walking or riding buses? Even if we invited here, we didn't say they had to drive. Also what ever happened to those big old beat up farm worker buses that you would see hauling Mexicans around? They can ride in them.

[Ichneumon]

And it would be even easier. Just go down the street with a hand-held pc containing the license #'s of all cars with insurance, and tow all cars that are not on the list.

Sorry, bad idea.

It's not illegal to have no insurance on a parked car -- parked cars don't hit anyone. It's only illegal to take it for a *drive* without insurance.

If you have to let your insurance lapse until you can come up with enough money, there's nothing wrong with just letting your car sit in a parking space until you do.

[ridesthemiles]

I can only wonder how many of these impounded cars are prior stolen with "new" paperwork. With the multitude of stolen cars on So Cal every month, one has to wonder just where they go to?
Everyone in every state has to start getting the message about how much of a problem illegal aliens are...$$$ spent on schooling them, paying for their babies born here in county hospitals, damages from accidents they are involved in, all of it. Compassion has been twisted so badly and anyone who hasn't seen these problems up close is in for a large shock when it hits their community...

[FITZ]

I would bet many of the cars are stolen, repainted and otherwise changed so the owners won't recognize them.