Is it illegal to ride a bike in New Jersey? According to the Camden County police it is. In this hellish heat and trying economic times, a marine, who rides his bike from the PATCO station to his job in Gloucester (100 miles a week plus train fare) just to earn a barebones weekly check, has become the preferred target for harassment from police throughout Camden county.
Over the past two months, police have stopped this veteran for, variously, riding on the sidewalk, not riding on the sidewalk, embankments, in traffic and for any other reason their bored little minds could devise. Each time this hard-working vet has been stopped on his ride to work, he's not only lost hours, he's lost dignity as he's been searched without cause each time. And each time his ID has been run, never have they found a reason to arrest him. Until this week.
After finally getting his PA drivers license -- which requires a cross-check with New Jersey for outstanding traffic violations -- suddenly a 12 year old traffic ticket came up during their weekly harassment of this marine who has been diligently riding his bike in the sweltering heat just to earn a living. However, it turned out that the ticket had already been paid. What they had found was a record of a traffic violation that had not been expunged. They held the man all morning at the Gloucester City Police Department, and finally released him with a traffic ticket for riding his bike on the sidewalk. Obviously they hadn't gotten their story straight with the Haddonfield Police, who had stopped him the week before for NOT riding on the sidewalk.
Officer Morell concedes that I "don't know nothin'" about New Jersey traffic law -- therefore I know at least something -- but I DO know harassment, un-Constitutional searches, profiling, undo psychological stress, illegal detainment and loss of wages when I see it. Thank you, New Jersey, for persecuting a hard-working marine trying to keep his home and life intact. Your troops and their families thank you. And the Constitution both you and they swore to uphold does as well.
-Shame on these officers who have been flagrantly abusing their authority to harass a man who served his country as a Marine. Welcome home to the land you defended with your lives, troops! Here's a minimum wage job and systematic, institutional persecution for your troubles.
Over the past two months, police have stopped this veteran for, variously, riding on the sidewalk, not riding on the sidewalk, embankments, in traffic and for any other reason their bored little minds could devise. Each time this hard-working vet has been stopped on his ride to work, he's not only lost hours, he's lost dignity as he's been searched without cause each time. And each time his ID has been run, never have they found a reason to arrest him. Until this week.
After finally getting his PA drivers license -- which requires a cross-check with New Jersey for outstanding traffic violations -- suddenly a 12 year old traffic ticket came up during their weekly harassment of this marine who has been diligently riding his bike in the sweltering heat just to earn a living. However, it turned out that the ticket had already been paid. What they had found was a record of a traffic violation that had not been expunged. They held the man all morning at the Gloucester City Police Department, and finally released him with a traffic ticket for riding his bike on the sidewalk. Obviously they hadn't gotten their story straight with the Haddonfield Police, who had stopped him the week before for NOT riding on the sidewalk.
Officer Morell concedes that I "don't know nothin'" about New Jersey traffic law -- therefore I know at least something -- but I DO know harassment, un-Constitutional searches, profiling, undo psychological stress, illegal detainment and loss of wages when I see it. Thank you, New Jersey, for persecuting a hard-working marine trying to keep his home and life intact. Your troops and their families thank you. And the Constitution both you and they swore to uphold does as well.
-Shame on these officers who have been flagrantly abusing their authority to harass a man who served his country as a Marine. Welcome home to the land you defended with your lives, troops! Here's a minimum wage job and systematic, institutional persecution for your troubles.
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