Last Thursday three young men I'd say twenty something rented a room at a motel and played basket ball at a court nextdoor to the motel, then they hung out on the porch smoking cigars and talking on cell phones.
These 3 men were black.....several people called the cops (according to the cops) and said they thought they were dealing drugs off the porch. The cops came while the young men were out to eat at a restaurant across the street.
The cops searched the room and even the trash dumpster used by the entire motel. In the common dumpster they found pot seeds and stems.
Keep in mind there are 35 rooms at this motel.
I blasted the cops for searching without probable cause and they argued that several people had called them but would not say who. then they said they found pot seeds in the dumpster. I told them I had no idea who the pot seeds came from and a general arguement began. Fucker threatened to taser me.
Do you let people smoke weed here they asked. Well no. Then why are there seeds in the trash? I don't know. You don't know or don't care? I don't know how could I? Did you get the lisence plate? No I didn't know they did anything. Well what do you know? Well I thought you needed a warrant to search a room. do you want to get tazered? No. Then quit being a smart ass we had several calls. from who? we are not at liberty to say.
Anyway nothing happened and the 3 black guys never even knew their room had been searched. When they came back they asked why the cop cars were there.
The problem is that several people called them... so they say. If that is true why did they call? These guys didn't do anything. I have had cops harrass me many times just for walking at night down the road and I am not black. I think the people who called the cops did so because these guys were black but I think the cops would have searched the room if they were white too.
edit added by Ry (brother of General Hoke)
The cops need to know that probably cause means they could go went get a search warrent. Probable cause does not mean they can search without a warrent, probable cause means they have a reason to get a warrent and AFTER and only after they get a warrent can they search.
Cops may make arrests based on Reasonable Cause but they may not make a search without a warrent (which requires probably cause) much less with out an arrest or even the knowledge of the suspect(s). So for example police could not pull you over in your car no matter what they suspected (without direct evidence) until you broke a law. And property rights are much stronger for residences than for automobiles.The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
*search and seizure law would require some kind of direct evidence before they would enter where the occupants were staying without a warrent. They had no direct evidence further proven by the fact that they didn't find anything.
*Also since 1974 police need to search the residence with consent of at least one occupant. Under the Patriot Act they may search without a warrent but only if the suspect is supected of terrorism or plotting terrorism.
Any prejudice wuss could call the cops and tell them they saw whatever and act as a loop hole around the right to privacy. Moreover they searched the room in SECRET. It is one thing to abtain the suspects and search with their knowledge and another to do it in secret. The cops could easily just plant something on them.
I would notify the papers. In fact I am reporting this now to alt media groups.
Threatening to taser you when you have not broken the law is against the law. And for those who don't know Hatteras is practically an all white area. I can imagine someone called to police on these people just because they saw three black guys at night time.
And using Secret reports to do a Secret search, also done Secretly with no affirmation is called Gestapo
