Police Take Cash, Cars For Driving While Black
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Posted By: Siebra Muhammad on March 14, 2009 TENAHA, Texas— You can drive into this dusty fleck of a town near the Texas-Louisiana border if you’re African-American, but you might not be able to drive out of it—at least not with your car, your cash, your jewelry or other valuables. That’s because the police here allegedly have found a way to strip motorists, many of them black, of their property without ever charging them with a crime. Instead they offer out-of-towners a grim choice: voluntarily sign over your belongings to the town, or face felony charges of money laundering or other serious crimes. More than 140 people reluctantly accepted that deal from June 2006 to June 2008, according to court records. Among them were a black grandmother from Akron, who surrendered $4,000 in cash after Tenaha police pulled her over, and an interracial couple from Houston, who gave up more than $6,000 after police threatened to seize their children and put them into foster care, the court documents show. Neither the grandmother nor the couple were charged with any crime. Officials in Tenaha, situated along a heavily traveled highway connecting Houston with popular gambling destinations in Louisiana, say they are engaged in a battle against drug trafficking and call the search-and-seizure practice a legitimate use of the state’s asset-forfeiture law. That law permits local police agencies to keep drug money and other property used in the commission of a crime and add the proceeds to their budgets. Thanks to Rikyah At Jack and Jill For This One Read the Full Chicago Tribune Report If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Siebra Muhammad
A Registration Clerk/Specialist, New Orleans Public Schools Other College... class of 2001 Member Since November 2008 |
Comments
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Come on, Bush had americans in jail for 7-8 years with no trial, has sentenced many Americans to life in prision, and tortured them for what they may or may not have on their mind.----------------------------That is outrage! If you get Bernie Madoff, there is nothing wrong with doing the same to some below the butt pants wearing, earing wearing, blingging SlaveAmerican. Justice is Justice. Sunday, March 15th 2009 at 10:58AM |
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This makes no sense. Why would the grandmother and the interacial couple give up their money if they did not nothing wrong? This story seems very one sided!
Monday, March 16th 2009 at 5:39PM |
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No, it doesn't make sense to me either. Only way that I would settle for that nonsense would be if I was carrying something illegal. As an upright citizen, they would have to jail my butt and I'll use my cash to pay some hungry lawyer to help me cash in on Tenaha's cash through a wrongful imprisonment suit.
Tuesday, March 17th 2009 at 3:18AM |
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Not me, i would not have given them SH!T. They target the right people, cause any person in there right mind would not fall for that. Tuesday, March 17th 2009 at 11:09AM |
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