Re: [Off-Topic] "Curfews"

[tcmay@got.net (Timothy C. May)]

At 1:59 AM 6/2/96, Duncan Frissell wrote:

>Of course curfew laws only control the inarticulate and scruffy.  Well
>dressed children (coat and tie for the boys dress or suit for the girls) who
>can claim that they are out doing tons of protected things like work and
>school and worship and political campaigning and "trying to save street
>children for Jesus" will not be picked up.  They can also say things like

This, by the way, is the main thing that concerns certain civil rights
groups (including the Santa Cruz chapter of the ACLU). They say they'll be
monitoring enforcement patterns to see if more "children of color" are
picked up than their percentage in the population represents.

>"Ossifer, I'm peaceably assembling to petition the government for redress of
>grievances.  It's in the First Amendment.  You could read about it and
>everything."

Personally, I liked my "religious exemption" example. The Baal worshippers
can claim that they are engaging in their religion by grokking the
darkness. If picked up and held, they can claim they are "being held
without Baal."

>to be accused of "owning slaves just like Thomas Jefferson."  Parents can
>also give their kids blanket notes of permission to be out on the streets.
>

Most of the ordinances, including the one here, specifically state that
"blanket permission" by parents is not acceptable. They want _specific_
reasons for being out after curfew.

(It's this taking control from both the kids and their parents and putting
it in the hands of cops that really bugs me.)

By the way, if being out after curfew is breaking the law, can I make a
"citizen's arrest" of some of those nice young chicas in Watsonville?

--Tim May

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