Aug 28, 2008 12:22 am US/Pacific
Latino Groups Slam Richmond Police Checkpoints
RICHMOND (CBS 5) ―
Drivers on 23rd street in Richmond are getting a highly unusual warning in Spanish: people carrying signs along the roadside that read, "Beware, police checkpoint ahead."
Officers are checking for driver's licenses, which are not sitting well with some Latino activists.
"We believe that you can not have a law that mandates that you have a driver's license and at the same time prohibits you from having one," said Juan Reardon, a Richmond political figure.
In California it is against the law for illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses. Rocio Lopez lost her car in a recent checkpoint.
"One day, they took my car and I lost my job," Lopez said. "I have 3 kids."
If a driver does not have a driver's license at the checkpoint, police will likely impound your car. It can cost around $2,000 to get the car out of the tow company's lot. If one doesn't have a driver's license, they might never get their car back.
Yenny Velasquez is a Richmond resident who is helping Julian Sontay who has insurance, but no license. Sontay is one of many workers who are struggling because they are undocumented.
"These people want to do the right thing," said Velasquez. "They don't have a license. They should be able to get one. They get what they can. They have insurance, and yet they're still taking their cars," she said.
But police say they're not just targeting the Latino community. They conduct these checkpoints once a month, each time, in a different part of Richmond.
"In California, driving is a privilege not a right," said Richmond Police Captain Allwyn Brown who insists the police checkpoint is not targeting immigrants.
"We're not targeting any segment of the population," Brown said.
Richmond resident Andres Soto said Latino activists have been fighting for months to keep the checkpoint out of 23rd Street. He says although the police checkpoints are random, they can't help but catch immigrants.
"If you're fishing in a pond that's stocked with trout as opposed to striped bass, you're probably going to come out with trout," said Soto.
Some are questioning whether a checkpoint is good police policy. After all, Richmond's murder rate continues to soar, with 22 homicides so far this year.
"All of this contributes to crime," said Chris Tallerico, a Richmond Police Commissioner. "Driving without a license is a crime."
Tallerico, outraged at the signs warning drivers of the checkpoints, said he told the activists they were wrong.
"The signs need to stop," said Tallerico. "If they really were truly concerned, they would work with their community and get them licensed and safe," he said.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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