In a message dated 8/16/2003 4:53:47 PM Central Daylight Time, Anne McCandless" <[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
>This year, the Fourth Precinct police have been .... advising people that they will >be stopping vehicles for ANY traffic violations, equipment violations or parking infractions in an effort to fight gang activity and street dealing of drugs. They have told us that they need to crack down in a consistent manner in order to not be see as profiling or targeting any single group of people. < HOORAY! I've been begging for this for a long time. One of the recent trends has been for drivers to pass you on the right--usually at traffic lights, but sometimes in the middle of the block. You're not expecting them to be there, which is why it's dangerous and illegal. I'd like to see it just for traffic safety, but if it helps bollix up the dealers, that's okay too. The scenes Dennis Plante describes are familiar to me also--and don't forget the pedestrians walking into the street in the middle of the block without even looking, and continuing to walk down the middle of the street, forcing cars to stop and then squeeze around them. As for selective enforcement, Channel 11 ran a piece last week showing a policeman enforcing the "don't cross the double white lines" signs on I-394 where you diverge into 94 West and 94 East. No color there--everyone who did it got a ticket. If I was conducting a roadside conversation and ANY car pulled up behind me, I'd move. It's simple courtesy. Certainly if a police officer asked me to do so, I would. They have enough problems without someone who is clearly in the wrong giving them grief, and trying to pull rank. Failing to do so isn't standing up to "The Man" or striking a blow against racism. It's called "being an ass." Respecting traffic laws promotes civility, prevents road rage and makes us all safer. We're all in danger from people who don't think the rules apply to themselves. --M. G. Stinnett Jordan Neighborhood TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
