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[Scott]

Ok, I am all for street racing enforcement, but these assholes have gone WAY over the line with this raid.  I am sooooo glad this has never happened to me!

http://thenewspaper.com/news/23/2302.asp

California: Police Raid Car Enthusiast Gathering, Generate Revenue
Police raid Riverside, California parking lot to issue modified car tickets at local car enthusiast gathering.

Parking lot raidNine police agencies in Riverside, California sent more than one hundred police officers to surround a gathering of automotive enthusiasts. Owners of imported sport compact cars had gathered at the Canyon Crossing shopping center on Friday night to swap stories, talk about their passion for cars and show off the latest enhancements to their rides. At around 11pm police surprised participants by blocking all exits with fifty police cruisers. Officers then began a warrantless search and interrogation operation of the 150 vehicles that were present.

"If you're not into street racing, why would you need that?" Riverside Police Traffic Sergeant Skip Showalter asked an enthusiast during a similar crackdown last year. "Why would you want more power going to your car?"

Police issued a total of forty-eight tickets for "engine modifications" with police accusing the owners of the parked vehicles of being street racers. Another fifty tickets were issued for paperwork violations, dark window tinting and lack of a front license plate. The most revenue, however, will be generated from the fees imposed on twenty vehicles that were confiscated. Despite labeling the parking lot raid as taking place at a "street racing venue," Riverside Police offered no evidence that any street racing actually took place.

Across the state, gas tax funds are regularly used to fund similar crackdowns that generate big revenue. In 2004, the California Highway Patrol issued a total of 101,553 "modified car" citations worth $10.5 million according to CHP data obtained by TheNewspaper.

In 2005, the California Office of Traffic Safety handed Riverside Police $400,000 in state and federal gas tax revenue for the "establishment of a regional task force to conduct enforcement operations targeting street racing, modified vehicles and speed contests," according to the Riverside Police Department's June 2007 Chief's Report. The department received another $503,268 grant for selective enforcement efforts in 2008. The other agencies that participated in the raid include the California Highway Patrol, Riverside County Sheriff's Department, and police from Baldwin Park, Fontana, Irwindale, Moreno Valley, Ontario and Mount San Jacinto Community College.

[Scott]

More on this story, including a video:

http://www.instantriverside.com/riverside-news/inland-empire-news/riverside-police-surround-suspected-street-racers/2008/03/29/

[sad_rocc]

Yeah, they were way overboard. I can't see how the tickets and all that crap can stand up in court. I'm pretty sure I'll never move to Cali.

[Barry]

bunch of fucking pricks

[TheMessenger]

So does that also mean they will be raiding and shutting down all the professional tuner shops, both American and Foreign, as well? I personally know 2 guys who have had their new Mustang GT's sent out to get worked over. Are they now in violation since the cars have abundant hp?

[Rukh]

Yet another reason why The People's Democratic Republic of Kalifornia is THE SUCK. There are a couple of sad things about this: 1) In Cali, where individual rights and liberties are trampled every day, this will hold up in court and there will be very little public outcry; and 2) The rest of the nation has a tendency to follow Cali's lead. You can expect this type of "Law Enforcement" behavior to visit a parking lot near you eventually.

So does that also mean they will be raiding and shutting down all the professional tuner shops, both American and Foreign, as well? I personally know 2 guys who have had their new Mustang GT's sent out to get worked over. Are they now in violation since the cars have abundant hp?

Sure, any car with modifications is modified so the owner can street race. Didn't you know that? However, cars that come from the factory with more hp than God's own draft team are perfectly legal.

Seriously, how do these policies get made, and how come those policy makers haven't been fired by an enraged general public? Anybody with half a brain could analyze their logic and see how flawed it is.

[oliver]

That's just plain crazy. Now just because I bought a 350hp Touareg doesn't mean I want to race a kid in a honda Si down the street.

[punkrider99]

i think you guys are barking up the wrong tree here. 

i don't think anyone got busted for 'making more horsepower'.  i'm willing to bet they got busted for modified emissions equipment which they enforce fairly heavily in so cal.  yeah it sucks these guys got busted but they all got busted for legit shit like tint, no front plate, etc.  i've been busted for the same shit here in colorado multiple times.

they've done this same exact shit in other states for YEARS.  it's nothing new.  does it suck?  fuck yes but it's totally legal.  you break the law then you get busted for it. 

no warrants?  ha, are you kidding me?  these kids are sitting their with their hoods open.  all the cops gotta do is go take a look under the already opened hoods.  if there has been street racing occuring then the cops already have their probable cause.

sure they made revenue oh but wait wasn't colorado springs ranked the highest revenue generating city thanks to speeding tickets?  yeah it's not just so cal so don't hate.

this is pretty much thanks to those people that were recently KILLED standing on the side of the road watching a street race.  street racing is stupid and it kills people.  if you break the law then you're going to get busted eventually regardless if it's because your tint is too dark or if you're street racing.  grow up and deal with it. 

[Giggidy]

Don't you love this free country we are living in? That's some democratic shit right there. I don't see how they can say just because you have aftermarket things done to your car they can legally assume you street race. What if you bought it like that? What if you track the car? This is ridiculous.

[Rukh]

Nate, part of me agrees with you. However, in Cali merely having a modified car is enough probable cause for most LEOs to assume that you are a street racer, which is a blatant violation of civil rights, IMO.

[yoogene]

.....so what i get from this, is not to hang around any g2g's that last past 1050pm?

last time i went to a g2g, it was at 2 in the afternoon at a shop. I haven't gone to a starbucks meet here in a long time because A) i'd rather spend time with my gf and B) all they do is bicker and talk about who's got the faster car. I have my bi-monthly meets, but that's with my buddies that are car heads and we meet up to eat dinner and talk inside.

but fuck man, cali sucks for anybody that has done anything to their car. remember, it's where "driving while asian" started.

[sad_rocc]

Seriously, how do these policies get made, and how come those policy makers haven't been fired by an enraged general public? Anybody with half a brain could analyze their logic and see how flawed it is.

Because car enthusiasts are in the great minority. Welcome to the world of us smokers. "Gee, education is a little underfunded, let's tax the smokers!" Since non-smokers are in the majority, the general attitude is "Fuck 'em, tax the shit outta those smokers, I don't care!". Same goes for car laws. The Gov. knows that the people who do it are going to do it no matter what. They also know the majority doesn't do it and doesn't give a shit. So, might as well profit!

Punkrider, I think the issue comes mostly from what Sarg Skip was quoted as saying, and for the 20 cars being confiscated. When it comes to Cali and cars, it's a scary place, because it's guilty until proven innocent if you're lucky, or just plain guilty if you're not.

[lilredwagon]

  Wow, that is a bum deal for that car club, and a sad indication of how a group can be profiled. I agree with Nate, the tickets were likely involving emissions mods- and that CAli has a no tampering law that has been in effect for decades. But, that may not be the point- None of these cars were being operated at the time of citation on public roadways- (parking lots are private property, usually) That they were serched without probable cause, and prohibited to leave the premisis prior to said searches/ inspections of vehicles is clearly a violation of civil liberty.
   The sad thig is, if your car is wrecked in a parking lot, the cops won't do anything for it IS private property, but how often do you see patrol officers conducting speed traps from-- you guessed it, a parking lot?!  I guess what irkes me is the double standard that is shown in that scenario-- Car club/ show members are not beyond trailering a car to an event- although that was not likely the case here, it is possible.

    We all have to be careful to protect our rights to congregate, and participate on the events that are in support of our hobby. Over the years, there have been more organizations to that end based out of California due to these restrictions. Off road guys, dirt bikers, trail riders, and even hikers have been under the gun in CAli for decades for the basic right/ priveledge to use public and BLM lands-- yet it seems thay are always in court battles for that right to use those lands, and seldom see light to the end of those issues.

I feel for them-- We do have it pretty good in lil ol COlorado!

[kutark]

This is my beef with it.  California is known for what i like to call pendulum swings.  Some dumbass kid gets a really loud exhaust, pisses off someone who complains to the city council.  Idea gets a huge following behind it, then what do they do.  Instead of something reasonable like saying, all exhausts over a certain decibel are illegal, they just ban anything thats not bone stock.  Completely fucking ridiculous.  Nm that most motorcycles stock exhausts are far louder than stock car exhausts.  Lets also ignore the fact that many stock cars come with exhausts that are plenty loud.  Or what about sport bikes that rev to 17k rpm and have engine notes that can pierce ear drums.

Its simply a way of oppressing the minority.  I hate california, i could go on for days about all the stupid bullshit laws they have there in regards to just about everything, taxes, insurance, weapons, cars, etc.

[DutchVDub]

Whats lame is that in order for an aftermarket part to become CARB legal, that part has to be approved by ALL 50 states.  That would include CO.  It takes quite a bit fro aftermarket companies to get this and yet you still get a tricket for putting it on your car in a state that approved the part in the first place.

I also agrre that it bogus to say, "Why would you need more power if you weren't a street racer?"  I love more power, and I love fast.  I don't believe in street racing.

[kutark]

Whats lame is that in order for an aftermarket part to become CARB legal, that part has to be approved by ALL 50 states.  That would include CO.  It takes quite a bit fro aftermarket companies to get this and yet you still get a tricket for putting it on your car in a state that approved the part in the first place.

I also agrre that it bogus to say, "Why would you need more power if you weren't a street racer?"  I love more power, and I love fast.  I don't believe in street racing.

Yeah, if that officer would of asked me that question, i would have said.  "Have you heard of these things called race tracks?  You see, they're this place where you drive around a track as fast as you can, and its perfectly legal.  And when you have more power you can get around the track faster, and its also more fun."

Of course i would of said this to him as if i were talking to an 8 year old.

[punkrider99]

Whats lame is that in order for an aftermarket part to become CARB legal, that part has to be approved by ALL 50 states.  That would include CO.  It takes quite a bit fro aftermarket companies to get this and yet you still get a tricket for putting it on your car in a state that approved the part in the first place.

I also agrre that it bogus to say, "Why would you need more power if you weren't a street racer?"  I love more power, and I love fast.  I don't believe in street racing.

i don't think your carb statement is very accurate.  i've actually done a fair amount of carb research (for obvious reasons) and carb is limited to california (carb = california air resource board).  once something is carb complient it gets blanket approval across the country because california has the strictest emissions requirements.  if it passes carb it'll pass anything.

[punkrider99]

I also agrre that it bogus to say, "Why would you need more power if you weren't a street racer?"  I love more power, and I love fast.  I don't believe in street racing.

man you guys are really eating this shit up.  thenewspaper.c om is from dc.  if you'll read the article from the web site it says the info came from a release from the riverside police.  if you read the release that actually came from the riverside police (the other link) you'll see there's no quote.  i'm pretty sure thenewspaper.c om has a bit of an agenda when they release stuff like this.  read it again from a non-biased pov and it sounds pretty one sided.  if this came from sema i'd believe the quote but this shit is so tweaked that i'm having a very hard time believing the accuracy of this article.

[kutark]

Oh you can tell the article is biased just from the tone and the verbiage.  The issue is that i have read about enough of the stupid shit that happens there that i have no reason to distrust what they're saying, regardless of their agenda.

[Scott]

i think you guys are barking up the wrong tree here. 

i don't think anyone got busted for 'making more horsepower'.  i'm willing to bet they got busted for modified emissions equipment which they enforce fairly heavily in so cal.  yeah it sucks these guys got busted but they all got busted for legit shit like tint, no front plate, etc.  i've been busted for the same shit here in colorado multiple times.

they've done this same exact shit in other states for YEARS.  it's nothing new.  does it suck?  fuck yes but it's totally legal.  you break the law then you get busted for it. 

no warrants?  ha, are you kidding me?  these kids are sitting their with their hoods open.  all the cops gotta do is go take a look under the already opened hoods.  if there has been street racing occuring then the cops already have their probable cause.

sure they made revenue oh but wait wasn't colorado springs ranked the highest revenue generating city thanks to speeding tickets?  yeah it's not just so cal so don't hate.

this is pretty much thanks to those people that were recently KILLED standing on the side of the road watching a street race.  street racing is stupid and it kills people.  if you break the law then you're going to get busted eventually regardless if it's because your tint is too dark or if you're street racing.  grow up and deal with it. 

Are you forgetting that they were on private property?  This entire thing is complete BS.

[lpshade]

From the video, I wonder why the modify mustang was let go, but the JDM (Lance is that what they are called) cars were singled out

[Scott]

the dude was 58 years old and far more capable of not sounding like a moron??