Lemonade Scofflaws Brought to Justice

I guess I just read the news differently from most folks.

When most people read this, they seem to think, "Those terrible police!"

Excerpt:


Television station KLTV reports that 8-year-old Andria Green and her 7-year-old sister, Zoey, will take only donations for lemonade Saturday in Overton, about 120 miles east of Dallas. 

A police officer on Monday approached the stand, which offered lemonade for 50 cents and "kettle korn" for $1. In patrol-car video, the officer can be heard asking the girls' mother, Sandi Evans, for a permit. She says she wasn't aware they needed one. 

A family friend went to City Hall to get one. Authorities waived the $150 fee, but said health department officials needed to inspect the stand. Overton's police chief says police must follow state health guidelines.


When I read it, I think, "Well, I don't fault the police.  The people that run 'em got 'em on a short leash."  (Yes, that's from Corporate Avenger.)  They have to enforce the law.  That's their job.  The law has specific meaning, and is made up of words selected by legislators, NOT the police.  These words, and not some other words, are THE law.  One law for everybody.  If it's a law, the police have to enforce it.  Not only is the police chief right, he is obviously right.

The THING.  The THING ITSELF, folks.  The law is an ass.  If you want less injustice, have fewer laws.  I don't fault the police.  And you shouldn't, either.

Trust, But Terrify

Published this over at Freeman.

Have been getting a lot of pushback, questions like, "Can you be specific about what aspects of being poor and black are against the law?"  (And then, presumably, person mentally drops the mic and walks off stage....)

My question is, "Did you even read the article?"

I never claimed that the LAWS oppress the poor.  The POLICE do.  But it's not really the fault of the police, at least not primarily.

We all have a lot of normal, nonviolent daily activity. And a LOT of it is illegal, because we have criminalized everything.

The police, in their defense (and I mean that, sincerely), can't possibly arrest everyone who commits a crime. So they focus, quite sensibly, on people who (1) for reasons of simple prejudice we "all know" commit more crimes and (2) are less likely to be able to defend themselves or make trouble for the police.

Now, it's also likely that there is more actual criminal behavior in poor neighborhoods.

But even if there weren't, overcriminalization forces the police to ration their attention. The difference in "arrest and hassle" rates across race is greater than the difference in criminal proclivity due to poverty.

Race matters because of overcriminalization. It's not just a proxy for poverty.

(A somewhat different, but related, view from Sheldon Richman...)

Got mashed potatoes: Florida or Ohio edition

OK people, here's the story of a "glass half empty" kind of guy. Your mission, as always, is to discern whether he's from Florida or Ohio.


A 60-year-old .... man is charged with calling 911 eight times in two hours to complain that he had food but no refrigerator.


Would a picture help?

Here's the source code.