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Comment by noonespecial | Hacker News Reader

I tried to take a walk in the suburban neighborhood where my parents live and was brought home in a police car. The neighbors called the police and reported someone suspicious walking through the neighborhood. Apparently, its just not done. I didn't have any ID on me so I was brought home in the cruiser so I could present my "papers" to the officer.

Its a terrible thing to think but I distinctly remember being grateful for the particulary large amount of light my skin happens to reflect that night.

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It's not a terrible thing to think. You aren't thinking this because you're racist, but because we all know that in many communities, the cops will not give nonwhites the same benefit of the doubt that they extend to white people.

Nowhere in this country is a citizen required to carry or produce ID in public. Furthermore, officers need reasonable suspicion that you have committed, or are about to commit, a crime before you are required to identify yourself. You are never required to explain your actions.

I'm sure if I'd simply explained that to him, everything would have worked out fine for me, yes?

It depends on your definition of fine, but probably, yes.

If 'fine' means not hassled or delayed in any way, then it already didn't work out 'fine'. If you're willing to add on another hour or two waiting, perhaps the night, waiting at the police station as 'fine', then you're still good.

I'm not sure if you're concerned that you would have been beaten or harmed? I'm sure it's not out of the question, it never is, but so long as you remained peacable as you explained it to the officer, I'm guessing it wasn't likely.

Every district / cop / municipality is of course different though.

Its free for them to find something to charge you with. It costs you a great deal to defend yourself, even if it comes out "fine" in the end.

It's semi-free for you to file a civil suit against the arresting officer for wrongful imprisonment as well.

I'm not saying it wouldn't be inconvenient, but fear of inconvenience isn't necessarily a great reason to lay down your civil rights.

That said, I don't mean to imply any judgement, I'm just curious as to "what would have happened". I've been in a number of scenarios similar to this one and have never been beaten, attacked, or in court spending a great deal to defend myself. Not to say it couldn't easily have happened, every encounter is different.

I don't know whether to agree with your second sentence or not. It looks like reasonable suspicion is required, but it also sounds like individual states' stop-and-identify laws are varied and vague.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_and_identify_statutes

"Reasonable suspicion" is a pretty low bar.

I've been living in more car centric semi-rural area for the last two years and I have been stopped by the police 7 times.

I had a job where I walked to work .7 miles and people would ask me almost every day if I need a ride home.

Someone told me that the few remaining buses in the town should be eliminated because they only service the scum and losers of society.

I've had 4 cars attempt to hit me on my bicycle because they felt and yelled that I should be riding on the sidewalk.

As someone who grew up in a semi-rural area in the Midwest, I know I would feel like I were in danger riding a bike on the street instead of a sidewalk. I've been living in more urban areas in California for many years now, and bike lanes are everywhere, but honestly, I don't think I'd want to try to use them. Attempting to hit you is ridiculously stupid, but I think the feeling that bicycle riders should be on the sidewalk is probably pretty common outside of urban areas, especially in regions where snow and ice are an issue for half the year and biking is less common.

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