The last thing America needs right now is misinformation that stokes fear.
Los Angeles based comic Ashley Ray is getting a lot of heat from Los Angelenos, LAPD, and the greater Twitter community for a series of tweets she posted earlier today. Ray claims that LA police are “starting to pull people over as spot checks to see where you’re going/coming from” punishable by $400 fines.
Ashley then tweeted out that there are specifically two check points she knows of, one in Mid-city and another in Santa Monica. In one alleged checkpoint, one family received three tickets and in the other checkpoint police allegedly ticketed a girl for dropping some stuff off at her boyfriend’s place.
Those tweets went viral, as of this writing, with over 11,000 RTs and 42,000 likes.
Check out the clusterf*** of a tweet storm Ashley started below.
reports of 2 checkpoints, both in mid-city. trying to get intersection info
— ashley ray (@theashleyray) March 25, 2020
Four hours later, the Los Angeles Police Department swooped in with a reply of their own, doing their best to squash any alleged rumors of spot checks.
Hi, I gave them your info and told them to DM you, although they said they were already speaking with someone at the number on the ticket they called
— ashley ray (@theashleyray) March 26, 2020
In response to the LAPD calling her out, asking for proof, Ashley Ray tweeted out the supposed conversations she had from two separate parties. Others have noted these are text conversations after the fact.
two separate coworkers from two different teams said this to me. I am sharing the info so ppl can be aware of possible consequences. I do not know why I would want attention for that. I can get attention for so many other things. pic.twitter.com/ElG0jOwkJ4
— ashley ray (@theashleyray) March 25, 2020
Reporters from local media also asked for proof with Ashley replying that she’s directed those who got the tickets to get in touch with local police.
go for a walk Christine. order a vibrator. we know cops lie. we know multiple ppl are saying this. there’s no harm in sharing information and being aware of a situation where every cop can seemingly apply rules as they personally see fit
— ashley ray (@theashleyray) March 25, 2020
Although those two instances of police ticketing people by pulling them over ala spot check are still up in the air, it’s not out of the realm of possibility. According to the Los Angeles Mayor’s “Safer at home” order, police can fine you upwards of $1,000 or put you in jail up to six months if you violate said order.
Failure to comply with this (Safer at home) Order shall constitute a misdemeanor subject to fines and imprisonment. I hereby urge the Los Angeles Police Department and the City Attorney to vigorously enforce this Order via Sections 8.77 and 8.78 of the Los Angeles Administrative Code.
This order, more or less, is a rehash of what California Governor Gavin Newsom’s ordered for all of California, mainly barring all non-essential employees from working, defining what is an essential employee, and spelling out what a good “Shelter in place” means.
This “Safer at home” order does give the police power to ticket or arrest you if they deem you in violation of this order.
According to TruthOrFiction.com, who followed up on Ashely’s claims,
“We contacted Los Angeles police for comment about the accounts of “spot checks,” and a spokesperson called it a false rumor. “If we do issue citations, the fine would come from the court,” the spokesperson said. The department had previously denied a separate claim that it was issuing tickets to people seen running for exercise.“
While police aren’t explicitly stopping people randomly in their cars or on the streets right now, I believe, since there are less people travelling around, the likelihood of you being pulled over for the smallest traffic violation is higher.
I think these two people Ashley claims were stopped by police for violations of the “Safer at home” order were stopped for other reasons like speeding or running a red light. Then, when further information about their travel plans was discussed, they were hit with additional fines.
The official word is that no, police do not have dedicated checkpoints specifically for spot checks to see if you’re complying with this “Safer at home” order. But, in the near future, checkpoints are definitely a possibility.
Even with the smallest followings on social media, one person has the power to start a viral tweet. It’s irresponsible to accuse a local police force of something so inflammatory without proper proof (A.K.A. the receipts.) Not only does misinformation further confuse your followers, it also does the local police a disservice because now they have to spend time and resources debunking these claims. And insulting their work and just being plain rude to reporters is just a bad look.
This “Safer at home” order serves a greater good, to stop the spread of Covid-19 A.K.A. Coronavirus, so it would behoove anyone to stay put for the time being. There’s a time and a place to be some kind of revolutionary and this ain’t it.
