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Drivers of White Vans are being treated as criminals
Vanity | Self

Posted on 10/20/2002 7:48:19 AM PDT by SamAdams76

The photos above currently on the Drudge site concern me. I followed the link and the article clearly stated that nobody was arrested last night.

Why then, do we have drivers of white vans, innocent civilians, evidently being pulled out vans at gunpoint and treated like dangerous criminals? One photo shows a man on the ground, evidently in handcuffs, with police officers standing over him as though they have just captured Whitey Bulger. When I first saw the photo, I figured the man was obviously a wanted criminal that police just so happened to come across during their search. But since there were no arrests last night, this man was obviously released and was no criminal after all.

The other photo shows a man by another white van with his hands in the air and a police officer has a gun drawn on him. Again, this was evidently just another innocent civilian who had the misfortune to be driving a white van on I-95 last night.

Now I understand the need for these roadblocks and for the police to be very thorough in their search for the sniper(s). But I cannot see the point of innocent people dragged out of their vehicles at gunpoint with no pretext other than the fact that they happen to be driving a white van.

Now maybe somebody here has an explanation why these two individuals were treated like criminals. Maybe they tried to evade the police or maybe they were driving stolen vans. But again, there were no arrests made last night. So what is the deal with our citizens being treated like Jesse James just for driving a white van?


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; US: Virginia
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To: ladyinred
You know, I would cooperate with the police totally. If that is a problem for you, so be it.

I'm not saying that at all. Those in the roadblock should cooperate fully with the police. But they should not be yanked out of the vans at gunpoint and shoved to the ground and handcuffed. Is that the kind of "cooperation" you have in mind?

21 posted on 10/20/2002 8:12:11 AM PDT by SamAdams76
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To: SamAdams76
Sorry, but this is how 'profiling' works. The cops are doing their job, and this is one of the side effects of terrorism that likely has the sniper(s) laughing his/their ass/asses off.
22 posted on 10/20/2002 8:12:32 AM PDT by finnman69
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To: SamAdams76
when you outlaw white vans only outlaws will have white vans
23 posted on 10/20/2002 8:12:55 AM PDT by TheRedSoxWinThePennant
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To: SamAdams76
They can profile as long as the profile includes "white".
24 posted on 10/20/2002 8:15:01 AM PDT by FITZ
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To: SamAdams76
> "We are going to have to do better than that."

And that would be....?
25 posted on 10/20/2002 8:15:44 AM PDT by Magic Fingers
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To: You Gotta Be Kidding Me
The cops are lazy and not very smart.

I don't think they're lazy but they are just paid hacks who want to give out citations and retire.

The worst nightmare for them is come across this dude/dudes in the act.

So far, all they can do is call an ambulance and target white vans.

They pray he moves into some other state.

26 posted on 10/20/2002 8:15:52 AM PDT by johnny7
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To: SamAdams76
Do we know the handcuffed man is not under arrest for some other infraction? Maybe when the driver was stopped he was in violation of the law and resisted arrest. I check four or five Virginia newspapers each day and don't remember any stories of police brutality here. For the most part, Virginians have a cordial working relationship with law enforcement.
27 posted on 10/20/2002 8:16:28 AM PDT by Ligeia
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To: SamAdams76
Instead of internment camps for foreigners, the whole country has to be turned into one big internment camp for citizens. I think the way they did it in WWII made more sense. It was more temporary too.
28 posted on 10/20/2002 8:17:12 AM PDT by FITZ
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To: Magic Fingers
And that would be a better description than "white van."
29 posted on 10/20/2002 8:17:44 AM PDT by SamAdams76
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To: CobaltBlue; Velveeta
Ah, yes---cops are our friends. They would NEVER do anything in violation of our Constitutional rights, would they.
30 posted on 10/20/2002 8:18:24 AM PDT by Wonder Warthog
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To: TheRedSoxWinThePennant
"when you outlaw white vans only outlaws will have white vans" hahaha...I was saying this morning, watching the reports - I bet WHITE van sales are waaaaay down!

I even notice "white vans" in my state now....and there are alot of them!

31 posted on 10/20/2002 8:18:36 AM PDT by SunnyUsa
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To: Ligeia
That's what I thought when I first saw the photos. I was willing to give the cops the benefit of the doubt. But then I followed the link to the article and it stated that there were "no arrests" made during the search.
32 posted on 10/20/2002 8:19:04 AM PDT by SamAdams76
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To: SamAdams76
Way back, right after 9/11, folks were told to 'go about their business as normal', since one of Osama's aims was to engender the actions in the U.S. seen in the above photos.

I am certain we will begin to see more of this in the United States in the near future. In my opinion, the terrorists have won, although not without willing ( or unwitting ) help from our 'betters' in D.C. .

33 posted on 10/20/2002 8:19:28 AM PDT by Tench_Coxe
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To: SamAdams76
Profiled! Me!! The NERVE of them!!!

That's right, profiled! *gasp* How will I ever recover from such an insult!?! Let me tell you about it.

There we were, heading off to work on a bright, sunny morning, just about to cross over the Martinez/Benicia bridge. Suddenly, out of nowhere, there's a CHP behind us, and two Calif. State Patrol cars following him.

Of course, I pulled over; there's little chance I'd try to outrun THESE guys in a Dodge Utility Van. The moment I stopped on the shoulder, the van was surrounded by officers, guns drawn, and very serious expressions on their faces.

After the initial driver's license inspection, I thought it odd that the two passengers should have to ALSO show their IDs, but I wasn't about to make a big deal over it. Then, while we were standing on the side of the road, they went into the van and took a few minutes checking out the contents (a bunch of music equipment and suitcases.)

No, I wasn't nervous, mainly because I knew that 1) I had broken no laws and, 2) there was nothing "illicit" in the van. But I WAS curious. After the inspection of the van's contents, their attitudes lightened, and they began to apologize for the inconvenience.

They then explained to us that they were conducting a manhunt, and the suspect vehicle was a Dodge Utility Van. The van in question wasn't the same color as mine, but they weren't taking any chances.

Of course, this case of profiling took place nearly thirty years ago, when three men hijacked a school bus full of children and then took the children (in the van) to a remote locale. There, they locked the children in a buried container. Is this sounding familiar?

How did I react to this case of "profiling?" Well, I certainly did NOT contact my lawyer and whine about my civil rights. My reaction at the time was (and still is,) "hey, there are the lives of children at stake here. Search my van all you want, and then go and stop every other van you can find."

Profiling? Pfffftt! Yes, my van was the wrong color, and yes, they were looking for three men, not a woman driving a van. But can I fault them for being desperate to find those kids? Lives were at stake, and time was of the essence.

Is this ringing any bells???

34 posted on 10/20/2002 8:20:36 AM PDT by EggsAckley
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To: SamAdams76
By the way, I was watching Network News this morning (always a mistake!) and after opening with the report of the most recent sniper attack, they cut directly to the President. He had words for the citizens to hearten them and explain the situation to them. He's a man we can look up to in this time of crisis and here's what he said:

Oops! Never mind. The President they showed was Clinton, so I turned off my TV.

35 posted on 10/20/2002 8:22:58 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy
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To: SamAdams76
I agree the photos look bad. I'm not ready to jump on the officers' case at this point with such limited information.
36 posted on 10/20/2002 8:23:15 AM PDT by Ligeia
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To: ladyinred
"How do the police know the drivers are innocent? How do they know that the driver isn't the sniper? What would you have them do? You know, I would cooperate with the police totally. If that is a problem for you, so be it."

Obviously you have forgotten that the watchword in American law enforcement is supposed to be "innocent until proven guilty". Unless and until some probable cause exists, there is absolutely no justification for this cr*p (and no--merely driving a white van is NOT sufficient probable cause).

This kind of police tactic is unconscionable, but is becoming "typical police procedure". DAMN these jack-booted thugs.

37 posted on 10/20/2002 8:24:13 AM PDT by Wonder Warthog
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To: EggsAckley
Something happened to me like that once. Two black men were driving a brown car and robbing highway rest areas at gunpoint. I happened to be traveling in a brown car so I pulled out of a gas station and was immediately pulled over. I guess they need to do that, and when they saw I obviously wasn't the armed robbers, they warned me not to go to the rest stops for a while until they caught the guys.
38 posted on 10/20/2002 8:24:22 AM PDT by FITZ
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To: SunnyUsa
perhaps we just need a seven day waiting period to buy white vans.
39 posted on 10/20/2002 8:24:26 AM PDT by TheRedSoxWinThePennant
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To: ladyinred
Could you explain then why at every press confrence, the police go out of their way to deny the importance of white vans at the crime scene?

They continue to claim the witnesses are mistaken (this has happened since the very start, remember the white box truck/purple lettering?).

If the white van is not a clue, why are they only searching white vans?

This crime will not be solved without citizen involvement, and yet the citizens are kept in the dark as to what to be aware of.

40 posted on 10/20/2002 8:24:45 AM PDT by porte des morts
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