cops in america are legally allowed to take people’s property (including large sums of money) purely because they feel like it. it’s called civil forfeiture and there are literally thousands of cases of pigs taking people’s property. that is looting.
i watched this happen to my roommate after the cops kicked our doors in at 6 AM on a weekday for a no-knock raid that, surprise surprise, didn’t turn out anything. they opened his wallet in front of him, took out about $300 and told him that since they had no record of where it came from on premises, that they’d have to take it from him. they took this man’s rent money right in front of him while he was in cuffs and told him “too bad”.
there was also a friend’s car in our drive way that had broken down so they left it over night. the doors were locked and the windows were up, and since the owner wasn’t there, they decided it’d be cool to just bust in all the windows to perform another fruitless search.
In Philly it’s been a HUGE and MASSIVE problem with cops taking people’s bank accounts, cars, electronics and pretty much anything worth any amount of money under a law that lets the DA seize property they think is related to a crime. “Related’ is a vague term though. They once forced a women and her grandchildren out of her home to sell it at auction because her son was found by police with $20 worth of weed.
(Depending on the property in question it can go under Civil Property Seizure or Seize and Seal, they’re not the same law but they work the same)
They don’t have to prove it’s related to a crime before or after, and even if the person suspected of the crime is cleared at questioning or acquitted at trial, you have to go through a MONTHS long process of court appearances (you can’t miss one or be late or you lose, no rescheduling) in hopes that they MIGHT get their stuff back. Most don’t.
Most people don’t think it’s worth the expense of days missed at work and a lawyer to get back a couple hundred dollars or whatever else the police stole. The city makes MILLIONS of dollars each year off this, around $6-10 (The DA doesn’t provide figures)
Chicago. Chicago is next. Announced today, July 20, 2020.
I’d like to point out that the continual and constant message of the protesters in Portland has been: defund the police, make them accountable for their actions, stop predatory policing of Black people. It is largely organized and lead by local Black organizers.
Black Lives Matter!
Chicago, NYC, Philadelphia, Detroit and Baltimore have all been named as potential next sites of federal occupation, citing ‘increased violence’ and corrupt liberal governments.
All of Riot Rib’s grills were ruined last night! If you don’t know who they are, they’ve been providing free food for protesters and homeless people in Portland! The cops have been purposely targeting them over and over and over and they need support!
PLEASE donate to riotribs, they’re an incredible group of folks who are doing much needed work to support and protect the protesters in pdx right now, and they’re being targeted for it.
oh god when i worked at jimmyjohns someone ordered an ultimate porker without bacon. She threw such a fuss when i mentioned that is just the ham sandwich.
I am Silver Tongue, I am an artist. I have many characters and you can check out my art in the art tag. I occasionally practice witchcraft though I don't do anything too complicated. I am girl 2 and don't know what else to put here.
