Thread: Latinos and cars

Do these kind of people take some kind of stupid pill when they get up in the morning? Their already criminals by being here illegally! These illegals are killing more and more Americans every year! Just read the papers! Why is it all our ancestors went through the process of becoming citizens legally but these people for some reason should be able to mock our laws, kill our citizens,spread disease, work here illegally and not be accountable to the same laws our legal ancestors were? Utter utter stupidity and ignorance!

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Latinos and cars
Published: Wednesday, Dec 6, 2006

There have been a lot of comments lately about Latinos being singled out for traffic enforcement. I have mixed feelings about this in that I don’t want to be exposed to injury because untested and unskilled drivers are operating cars on our streets, but I also feel they’re being targeted unfairly or at least disproportionately.

If a vehicle is unregistered, it’s operating without insurance and deserves to be impounded for the maximum authorized period. No registration and no insurance relate directly to money. Impoundment, with its storage costs, also relates directly to money and is a fair penalty.

If people are loaning registered vehicles to unlicensed drivers, they need to be put at financial risk. But here, and in the case of unlicensed drivers in registered vehicles, is where I think there needs to be some flexibility.

We apparently have a City Council policy of using the maximum 30-day impoundment period for any vehicle being driven by an unlicensed driver. This seems to be a break from the usual penalties given to first-time offenders in most situations. Even in criminal cases, first-timers usually get a break.

My understanding is that the impoundment may be for up to 30 days, not an inflexible 30 days. Also, I understand the police department has some sort of “compassionate relief” program where something other than a 30-day impoundment can be arranged. Perhaps someone could report on the details of this program.

This might be a time to reconsider our impoundment policies and offer some relief for first offenders.

It might take a little work, but not much, to keep a list of vehicles and drivers caught up in this impoundment net. However, it would permit our usual imposition of higher fees and penalties for repeat offenders while providing a consideration for those who are first offenders.

Let’s face the fact that as a country and/or state, we’re not going to deport any appreciable portion of the illegals already here. The cry for punishment seems more related to “Let’s make them suffer as much as possible.” This isn’t justice; it’s vengeance or just a plain mean-spirited attitude.

Let’s also consider the human element here. Not many of us could keep a job if we didn’t have a vehicle to get us there. This might apply in spades for those who have to have more than one job to get by on lower pay. Depriving them of their pay and imposing the maximum possible costs (vehicle impoundment) doesn’t serve the society we think we are, or want to be seen as. Yes, let’s impound unregistered cars for the maximum period but let’s also apply a variable period of impoundment for other first offenses.

While we’re thumping around here, let’s question if unlicensed drivers are really more likely to be involved in accidents than licensed drivers. This seems to be an assumed fact; it might not be so. Surely there’s data on this, and if not, it could easily be determined by reviewing actual accident reports from a month or two. Wouldn’t it be strange and embarrassing if unlicensed drivers, because they’re trying to avoid police attention, actually had fewer accidents than average drivers?

Everyone who’s an illegal isn’t either a criminal or a potential gang member. Most of them are just trying to make a living.

While we’re at it, realize that those who are employed, even with a phony Social Security number, are paying all the taxes we have to pay. If they’re employed without a Social Security number, it’s the employer who is cheating the government out of its taxes, not them.

Perhaps it’s time to address what our concerns about illegal immigrants are really about. We don’t seem to worry about any Irish or Asians who don’t have the proper papers. Our concerns aren’t so much about the illegal tag as it is about the numbers.

(Jack Balshaw is a retired transportation planner and former Petaluma City Council member. His e-mail address is jbcolumn@sbcglobal.net)

In Florida the only reason they go after them is that they drive with expired tags. I see them all the time and some go back to 05/06 or 06/06. What happen here is that once a student or work visa expires, so does their driver's license so they can't renew their tag and it goes into the state computer. If that person is run by police a message comes up to notify ICE. Also before September 11th it was easier for people to get driver licenses here and many of those that had them can no longer renew them. If other states are doing the same then of course they are complaining as they are getting caught.