This is probably some really good advice to follow if you’re at a car meet and police decide to block everyone in.
There’s been news as of late of law enforcement, specifically in California, really going out of there way to bust dozens of cars at a time for breaking the law for frivolous things like being too loud, having what looks to them like illegal modifications even though they aren’t, and for possibly being involved in illegal street racing despite cars just hanging out at a car meet. So, what DO you do if police show up in force to your local car meet?
Local California automotive enthusiast and friend of the SoCal Euro group on Facebook, Thaddeus Love, had a really good response of one of the better things to do when the situation gets headed and the boys with their reds and blues flashing come around.
In response to a story I blogged about earlier this month, when Irvine police literally partnered with other local law enforcement to, more or less, harass car meet attendees, this is what Love suggested,
If you see the police block/camp outside the exits of a lawful peaceful assembly(as protected by the first amendment) then please:
1. Gather everyone and calm down
2. Have someone look for signs prohibiting cars from being parked overnight(private property can not be subject to ticketing).
3. Make sure your car is parked in a legal parking space, gather your belongings, lock your car and pick up/dispose of your trash.
4. Call a taxi/uber/lyft/buddy/family to come and pick you up.
5. Leave peacefully and do not antagonize the police officers, they are doing what they are told to do(generate revenue).
6. Come back later or the next day and retrieve your car.
6A. If stopped by police officers while walking/leaving, please comply as you arent commiting a crime and should not be detained.Dont give the police the satisfaction of intimidating, profiling, or discriminating against you.
Notice that Love’s advice uses the right that a lot of us take for granted, the right to peaceably assemble, as the basis for his argument. It is not in violation of any laws, when done peaceably, to gather in one location for an extended period of time (e.g. a car meet.) Local laws might further define what does peaceably exactly mean and probably doesn’t mean burnouts, impromptu rev contests and taking up parking spots in unreasonable amounts but, by and large, car enthusiasts can have car meets if we’re not bothering anyone en masse.
More than likely if you’re at some random car meet and don’t have the authority to gather everyone together in one massive walkout, you can still take this advice to heart and secure your car on your own, walking away.
Sure, you might actually have an exhaust that’s too loud, your turbo probably isn’t CARB compliant, or your flash tune should only really be used “off-road” but in the grand scheme of things, you’re a law-abiding car enthusiast, don’t speed when it’s dangerous, and generally follow all the rules of the road. You shouldn’t be unfairly punished just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time with all your mods, it’s those ones that ruin the fun for everyone else that should.
So, if you find yourself surrounded by police at a car meet, this is one of the better things you can do.
Source: SoCalEuro Group
