We need to stop Florida from becoming a police state

[Chuck]

For those who haven't been to the Off Topic forum lately, here's my thread on police harassment in our sunny state, along with a call to action about Senate 2472/House 1923, the bill that would make it a felony to street race and would cost you your car under the contraband seizure law:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...d.php?t=198427

We need to speak up about this. Whether you are a streeter or not, whether you like street racing or not, this bill could affect everyone on the road at some point in their lives.

[///Mpmp1025]

i like the idea of speaking up but how can we do this? im all for fighting the power. especially since i drive up and down the state alot for college. i need to invest in a V1.

[Chuck]

go to myflorida.com and find out who your state legislators are. Call their local offices and tell them you are opposed to these bills. Before you do that, go look up the bills by the numbers I gave and read them through. You'll find that the standards they use for racing could be abused by the police, and that the cops could pretty much charge anyone in the immediate area as accomplices.

Let your elected officials know we already have more than enough laws to address speeders, racers, and people who drive without care.

The following statutes are taken from the statute search on myflorida.com. They are more than adequate to stop any display of speed or contest thereof:


316.0895* Following too closely.
316.183* Unlawful speed.
316.191* Racing on highways.
316.192* Reckless driving.
316.1923* Aggressive careless driving.
316.1925* Careless driving.

[Kevlar]

Actually... funny you should bring this up. Friend of mine just got ticketed for racing on a public highway.

The short version of the story.

He was going down the highway, faster than the speed limit... which is normal around here. There was a Porsche tailing him... hard, but no sort of racing, just following nose-to-tail. Anyway... friend ends up pulling off the road due to some mechanical failure. FHP pulls up moments later and says, I'm going to ticket you with racing on a public highway. I saw you and that Porsche.

My friend has to appear in front of a judge because somebody was tailgaiting him, but on the ticket it reads... racing on a public highway.

[Cosmos///95Lux]

Vote Republican. Street racers are terrorists.

[Kevlar]

I've been posting this on numerous other forums to help the cause... with all the internet car forums out there and all there members... I'm sure we can influence the right people to fix this problem.

After all, it all depends on how the police officer is feeling at that particular moment in time whether you get a ticket or not. Find a cop in a good mood and you could probably pull off a full drift through an intersection with no problem. Find a cop who just got kicked in the nutz and you blink wrong... you go to jail.

[Chuck]

I've been posting this on numerous other forums to help the cause... with all the internet car forums out there and all there members... I'm sure we can influence the right people to fix this problem.

Thanks Kev. The point I tried to get across to the aides at the two offices was that these were the best behaved kids I've ever seen. No drinking, no drugs, no fights. Many of the kids are just there to show off their car mods. If a race happens, they wait until they have a clear road before they do anything at all. Most of the time they hunt for an absolutely deserted stretch of road in an industrial area before they play. At no point did I assert that there was anything justifiable about street racing at all.
Make sure that whoever calls the legislators acts in a polite and couteous manner. They need to get the point across that they are registered voters who are afraid of police abuse of confiscatory powers, and they don't appreciate being lumped in with murderers and rapists as far as the level of any perceived transgression.

Remember.... if you kill someone street racing you face vehicular manslaughter charges, plus civil suits. What do we need another law for?

... if you damage property racing you face negligence charges, plus anything else they decide to cite you for. What do we need another law for?

... if you race, they already have "Motor Vehicle Speed Competition" laws. Why do we need another law?

... if you speed, we have a law against that too. Why do we need another law.

Plain and simple, this gives the cops more power than they can responsibly use, and its quite obvious that bias will come out and people's lives will be irrevocably changed.

Any chance you can make it over here this weekend?

[Kevlar]

How far is the drive? I doubt I can make it this weekend as I have to make a BF.c showing at a car show this weekend and next weekend to try and do some advertising.

[Chuck]

Kev, don't worry about coming up here - get a conference going down in your neck of the woods. You have probably 5 times the streeters that we do, and that could be a formidable force against this poorly conceived bill. Feel free to use my posts as a road map of things to get across to people. Above all, get people active and calling their reps and senators.

[Kevlar]

bump

[Chuck]

Bump is right.

We had the meeting and I estimate there was around 100 people there to hear my speech. I think theres a couple of vids floating around somewhere- if I find links I'll post them.

Points I raised:

- There's more than enough laws on the books to regulate racing - why do we need another? Especially one that criminalizes people.

- DUI isn't a felony, yet its more dangerous by far. Why are cops wasting their time following us from gathering to gathering, yet driving right by bars that let drunk people out on the road all night long? Why aren't they sitting outside the bars waiting for potential DUI's?

- What happens when a cop makes an honest mistake, or a biased judgement and suddenly you become a criminal and lose your car?

- Driving behavior at all hours of the day needs to improve, especially when you drive an obviously modded car, so that we don't loses public support.

- Finally, call your legislators and protest S. 2472(in the Senate), and H. 1923 ( in the Fla House) before its too late.

[Chuck]

Gee, it only took 3 years, but finally a judge decided the legislature had gone too far.

Street racing statute deemed un-Constitutional.

Sent to me by X2DaC.

[Kevlar]

It may have taken 3 years ... but at least it was revoked.

[JBgotM]

yep, thankfully

I like how they point out that the punishment for driving fast was more harsh than driving drunk.

[m3j0n]

Yes, thank god... i hate how charges like this were based on/determined by the cop and what mood he was in at that particular time. thanks for the update!

Kev, what are you doing this weekend?

[Kevlar]

Cannonball Run from Ft. Lauderdale to Naples. Maybe spending the night in Naples to drive back on Sunday afternoon, depends on how I feel after I drive over to Naples.

[Isaacus]

From what I see they're trying to demonize a rite of passage that's existed in this country since cars were invented, and turn it into a crime on par with rape at gunpoint.

Is street racing bad? That depends on where and when it happens. But in the words of this law, any driver of any ability, experience level, on any road in any condition at any time of day is as evil as your neighborhood armed robber. As has been said, armed with this law, if a cop has a bad day and sees you cruising in a modified car next to somebody who revs his engine or accelerates past you, you could lose your car forever.

[bigdog68]

This is carzy and I am glad its uncostitutional now.

About 6 years ago I was slowly passing a white 80's camaro in my E30 when the guy flicked a cigarette at me, I downshifted and got way ahead of him, a cop pulled me over and told me I was drag racing with the camero, I said no he flicked a cig at me and I wanted to get away from the jerk, cop said no you were racing I was right behind you, I again said no sir I was not, I was speeding to get away from him but not racing, cop says oh so you admit to speeding L and R please, he comes back with a $380 ticket and said I could impound your car and send you to jail have a nice day kid ( I was only 19), I fought the ticket and the cop didnt show up, which was great, as I was walking out of the court house I saw the cop come running in, I GOT THE HELL OUT and never looked back. I got lucky and know it, but glad that that street racing statute is now unconstituional!

[m3j0n]

Cannonball Run from Ft. Lauderdale to Naples. Maybe spending the night in Naples to drive back on Sunday afternoon, depends on how I feel after I drive over to Naples.

oooh.. is it too late to join that?

[SergeK]

oooh.. is it too late to join that?

qft

[Kevlar]

You'll have to bring something exotic...

Notice the Lamborghini Engine Block with attached blow-offs and turbos.

[m3j0n]

what car are you bringing? or are you riding with someone?... i could always take the gt2..but i dont think it would keep up with the turboed murcie!!! is that car "local"?

[Kevlar]

I'm taking the M Roadster... but it qualifies as rare/exotic because they only sold I think 400 so far this year.

If you bring the GT2... you would be in good company. Last time there were 64 cars with a MSRP over $150k ... and that doesn't include the modifications. There was a GT2 last time that clocked 195 across the alley while chasing a Mclaren SLR.

Granted... they were the front runners... the rest of the pack averaged around 100 ish with the occasional spurt to higher speeds.

Photos from last time...

http://picasaweb.google.com/kevlarmp...kCaseJuly72007

[m3j0n]

beautiful! thanks for the pics!

[SergeK]

-1 for bein Po'