What do you do if a cop approaches you and starts questioning you while you're sitting in your car in a public parking lot?

rebarrrrrrr@lemmy.world to Ask Lemmy@lemmy.world – 121 points –

Unfortunately, I drive a ghetto minivan which causes the police to profile me and has caused people in small towns to call the police on me if I am in a public park or in their neighborhood. I even had someone call the police on me at campground that I had pre-paid for and the police were not sympathetic at all to my right to just exist.

I am aware of stop and identify laws and know that a cop needs reasonable suspicion to demand to see your ID. However, can't the cop just make up some lies about reasonable suspicion?

If a cop approaches me can I immediately start with: "Officer, do you have reasonable suspicion that a crime has occurred, is in the process of occurring, or is about to occur?" It seems like that will immediately escalate things even if technically the law is on my side.

I just want a damn right to exist law and to not be a target for an overactive imagination by the police which treats me like a criminal until they can check me for warrants.

Honestly, I want to tell them to fuck off right away but I also don't have money for a lawyer.

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Something like this probably. Just make sure to video tape everything.

Watching it now, thanks! It sucks that you have to study the law for rights you already have but "it is what it is".

To the guy downvoting every time I comment - do you feel powerful doing that? I even got a downvote for simply stating the country I live in. Dude, I live in a van and I get harassed by cops. I'm just trying to get some advice from people (like that Youtube link @David_Eight just posted) Keep downvoting, you're not going to make my life any worse.

The US has a long history of carving out segments of civil rights, especially from poor and marginalized groups. It is dangerous to depend on the rights allegedly afforded by the Constitution of the United States, especially with a SCOTUS eager to nullify the bill of rights.

@David_Eight

Thanks for that video. I want to be like that kid. He wasn't always the most elegant with his words but he was right the entire time. That's what I would like to do when the cops show up. I'd just like to state my rights, ask am I free to go, and then have them go away.

I didn't read the whole thread before linking that video, so a few things to consider.

  1. There is no federal law stating that sleeping in your is illegal but, some states and or cities do. So if you're in a state or city where it IS ILLEGAL, definitely don't do this lol. They'll just arrest you.
  2. If it IS LEGAL where you are, theoretically you don't have to move and can stay as long as you want. But, the cops will escalate things and start looking for other reasons to arrest our fuckery you.
  3. Have you considered going to a 24hr gym or something similar? So if anyone hassles you, you're just going to the gym. Just an idea.
  4. If your renting a camp site you do have "Campers Rights" and can tell the cops to fuck off. I remember watching a similar video to the one I linked about that specifically. I'll add it later if I can find it. Best of luck though 🖖

You can fall down a rabbit hole on YouTube of similar videos. Rarely do the cops just respect the law and back down. For many of them it's about ego and power and they seem to believe whatever information they receive first, as in a caller said you were suspicious so they're going to treat you like a criminal regardless of the facts or what you tell them.