http://www.jsonline.com/watch/index.asp ... =9/14/2006

THURSDAY, Sept. 14, 2006, 2:02 p.m.
By Georgia Pabst

Police warn about cruising on Chavez Drive
Mexican Independence Day will be celebrated this weekend with parades and festivals, and police are urging residents to attend those organized events and not to celebrate by cruising, especially along S. Cesar Chavez Drive.

In July, Milwaukee enacted tougher laws with stiffer penalties intended to crack down on cruising throughout the city.

Cesar Chavez Drive has been designated a "no cruising zone," said Sgt. Luis Gonzales, the Police Department's liaison to the city's Latino community.

He noted that in past years police have had problems with cruising on the south side during holidays such as Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day.

Gonzales said he's been doing an information blitz in Spanish and English, posting fliers and working with merchants and the media to get the word out about the tougher cruising laws and to urge residents to celebrate peacefully and lawfully.

"Cruising" means driving a motor vehicle past a traffic point more than two times in any two-hour period in an area which has been designated as a 'no cruising zone', the flier warns.

The problem with cruising is that it often leads to disorderly, violent and risky behavior, Gonzales said.

The fine for cruising in a "no cruising zone" can be doubled from $50 to $100, he said.

The unauthorized parading of three or more motor vehicles can also now be considered an "unlawful assembly" and those vehicle will be ordered to disperse, he said.

Any vehicle used two or more times in an "unlawful assembly" can be confiscated and sold, he said.

Gonzales also warned against driving with flags flying out the window. No flag can extend beyond the fender line of a vehicle, he said.

"You can spend the money on clothing or food, or pay fines," he said.