Automatically Impounding A Vehicle When Someone Gets Arrested For A DUI Is Unconstitutional Says Judge

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(Edited)


Drivers in many places around the United States are at risk of having their vehicle impounded when they are caught drinking and driving.

The practice has helped to generate tens of millions of dollars for tow companies and cities. Despite the strict rules seeking to prevent accidents, there are still thousands of alcohol-impaired driving accidents that take place every year.

Some individuals have come together to previously launch class action lawsuits against their city, challenging the impound racket and arguing that the fines, fees, and car seizures overall, are unconstitutional.

When an individual has their car impounded that can greatly negatively impact their life, as many depend on a car to make a living. Often they won't be able to afford the unexpected fees that are associated with getting it back, which could add a great deal of struggle to their life.

Thousands of people have also had their vehicle taken away when they haven't been convicted of any wrongdoing.

Get A Warrant

In recent news, the state Supreme Court in Washington has ruled that their impound rules are too broad, that it is ultimately unconstitutional, and the court asserted that the police officer involved must first consider alternatives before seeking to impound a vehicle.

“Our constitution cannot be amended by statute,... The Legislature can give more protections to constitutional rights, but it can’t pass laws to take those protections away." - one judge wrote.

Today still, the practice goes on to a broad extent around the country, and previous reports have suggested that some officers might even be exploiting DUI checkpoints to rake in cash.

In Detroit, one lawsuit alleges that police had accepted kickbacks to allow illegal towing in the region to continue.

According to the constitution, in the eyes of the court that recently ruled in Washington, it requires that an officer seek out other alternatives if possible, to consider whether or not towing the car is necessary to protect the community or if there might be someone else who can bring the vehicle home etc. If not, then they should seek a warrant to impound the car.

Pics:
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3 comments
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People around the world are increasingly fed up with totalitarian corruption and egregious abuse of power. Riots and political unrest from Chile to China sparked by neoliberal propaganda becoming despotic carbon taxes, fees, and fines reveal that almost everyone has had enough.

At the same time millions of ordinary folks are adopting and developing personal means of producing goods and services across all industries, from agriculture to manufacturing, and every day increases the retention of wealth and power by productive individuals thereby, while decreasing the wealth and power of centralized institutions that have become dependent on parasitization of society.

We should see more checks on state power coming as the raging surveillance/police state is continually reduced in wealth and power by the increase in distribution of means of production.

Thanks!

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it would be a disservice to the concern for individual liberty to pretend that only one trench has a history of, or is interested in abusing the power of the swamp for self-serving totalitarian purposes. Both arms of the bird enslave the masses.

People are waking up...?...I won't hold my breath.. 😂😂😂

The surveillance and police state are still overflowing, alive and well, haven't been reduced in any way.

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People that are parasitized of ~half their income have extreme incentive to reduce that parasitization. Whether you regard that as 'waking up' when they act to reduce it or not, millions of people are doing so.

Do not confuse appearances with actual reality. We see that despite claims the economy is doing great, QE continues to increase every quarter, and negative interest rates continue to expand across economies. Decreased parasitization is happening. Surveillance tech, from cameras to facial recognition, are becoming available to individuals for their personal use. Again, whether you define that as 'waking up' or not, the increase in power gained by individuals and the decrease in power affected institutions suffer continues to increase every day.

I don't grasp your point about trenches, and I certainly don't support any political parties. The whole of my point is that political power is increasingly obsolete, as decentralization is a reduction in centralization, and in due time freedom will not be affected by institutional power. It has not ended today, but increasingly decreases as time goes on.

I dont recommend holding your breath and waiting for 'the masses' to wake up. The masses are individuals, and one at a time either take effective action to increase their power and decrease that of their enemies, or continue holding their breath.

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