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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? (lemmy.world)

submitted 10 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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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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[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

But I don't see how you can argue yourself out of the situation. Even if you find the magical words you can say to police officers to leave you alone, you will still have to say these words to them in every town. At this point just showing your ID seems like less effort.

I was being profiled and targeted because of the vehicle I was driving.

Not arguing that. But I also don't see how you can change anything about that without changing the actual vehicle. There is a reason my drug delivery guys only drive B.M.W. and Mercedes.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

I don't want to argue...in fact I don't even want to talk to them. I just want to say "If you don't have reasonable suspicion then I am not legally required to show you my ID" then I want them to go away. I suspect that would not happen. I was hoping someone would read my post and tell me that they did that exact thing and let me know how it turned out.