This is your daily reminder that cops just arbitrarily pick and choose when and how to enforce the law. This isn’t part of some sensible new approach to law and order, it’s a problem as old as policing, and it’s only getting worse.
For example, Pittsburgh police are ignoring a city ordinance barring cops from pulling people over for trivial traffic offenses, because it’s “demoralizing” the police force. The city’s laws prevent them from harassing Black motorists over non-offenses, so the boys in blue have decided to violate municipal orders to continue “enforcing” what they deem as violations. Unsurprisingly, according to Pittsburgh police data, while Black residents make up only about 22% of the city’s population, they accounted for 42% of traffic stops in 2021. Some interesting mathematics there.
Separately but extremely related, dozens of Illinois sheriff’s departments have said they will not be enforcing a new state law banning assault weapons. The sheriffs say they believe the ban is unconstitutional, sharing messages on social media saying:
“Neither myself nor my office will be checking to ensure that lawful gun owners register their weapons with the state, nor will we be arresting or housing law abiding individuals that have been charged solely with non-compliance with this act.”
-Robb Tadelman, McHenry County Sheriff/local rule breaker
Their arguments center around the stance that the law, which makes it illegal for Illinois residents to purchase, transfer or manufacture assault weapons and extended magazines, violates the ol’ Second Amendment. How convenient.
In summary, the next time you’re out and about with the homies contemplating whether or not your actions are illegal, remember that it actually doesn’t matter. If police in this country want to detain you, they’ll do that. And if the judge decides to unjustly throw you in jail, they’ll do that too. Because what is a judge really other than a person who thinks it sensible to wear a robe to work?
Side Items
Helicopter crash in Ukraine: A crash near Kyiv killed at least 18 people, including a few children and the Ukrainian minister for internal affairs. Minister Denys Monastyrsky is the highest-ranking government official to die since the Russian invasion began last February. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the helicopter to crash, but the tragedy only adds more pressure to a tense situation. Unrelated, but also related, the Pentagon announced this week that they would be tapping into a vast but little-known stockpile of American ammunition in Israel to help meet Ukraine’s desperate need for artillery shells, so that’s reassuring
Restaurant Safety Scam: The National Restaurant Association may sound harmless, but the corrupt organization has been using its mandatory $15 food-safety classes to turn waiters and cooks into unwitting funders of its battle against minimum wage increases. In fact, the shady association has spent decades fighting any increases to minimum wage at the federal and state levels, as well as the subminimum wage paid to tipped workers like waiters ($2.13/hour if you were wondering)
Oldest Person Dies…Again: It’s truly the oldest story in the book. The world's oldest known person, a French nun named Sister André, has died (!!!) at the age of 118, according to her spokesperson (they give old people spokespersons?). Sister André was likely a perfectly nice woman, but 118 years is far too long. Bummer she won’t get to see the next Fast & the Furious movie though