Madmallard
.223 Rem
Detroit earned its moniker "the motor city" for its leadership in the auto industry. But the city now is developing another reputation related to cars, it's practice of seizing seizing cars from innocent owners and then demanding a "ransom" to ensure their return.
The Institute for Justice has filed a lawsuit against the city on behalf of several car owners.
One, Robert Reeves, worked last summer briefly for a contractor clearing out debris from an empty lot.
On his way home, he was arrested. Police said they suspected the tractor the contractor drove was stolen. He was not aware of that fact, but to police it didn't matter.
Police seized his car and money. No one has been charged with a crime, but five months later, Robert's car remains in a city impound lot.
In another case, Melisa Ingram's car was seized by Wayne County sheriff's deputies after she lent it to her then-boyfriend so he could drive to a friend's barbecue.
Later that day, IJ said, police pulled him over for slowing down in an area known for prostitution. Although he was never charged with a crime, police nevertheless seized Ingram's 2017 Ford Fusion.
"The following day, she went down to the courthouse to sort things out. There, she explained that the car wasn't his and that she'd obviously would have never given him permission to pick up a prostitute, as the police alleged," IJ said.
"But her pleas fell on deaf ears, because under Michigan's forfeiture statute, an owner’s innocence is not a defense. The clerk explained that Melisa's only option was to pay the city $1,800—$1,800 she did not have—plus the cost of towing and storage. Without the money to pay the city, she was forced to give up her car and declare personal bankruptcy. Now, seven months later, she's broken up with her boyfriend and is forced to ride the bus to work for the first time in her life."
www.wnd.com
The Institute for Justice has filed a lawsuit against the city on behalf of several car owners.
One, Robert Reeves, worked last summer briefly for a contractor clearing out debris from an empty lot.
On his way home, he was arrested. Police said they suspected the tractor the contractor drove was stolen. He was not aware of that fact, but to police it didn't matter.
Police seized his car and money. No one has been charged with a crime, but five months later, Robert's car remains in a city impound lot.
In another case, Melisa Ingram's car was seized by Wayne County sheriff's deputies after she lent it to her then-boyfriend so he could drive to a friend's barbecue.
Later that day, IJ said, police pulled him over for slowing down in an area known for prostitution. Although he was never charged with a crime, police nevertheless seized Ingram's 2017 Ford Fusion.
"The following day, she went down to the courthouse to sort things out. There, she explained that the car wasn't his and that she'd obviously would have never given him permission to pick up a prostitute, as the police alleged," IJ said.
"But her pleas fell on deaf ears, because under Michigan's forfeiture statute, an owner’s innocence is not a defense. The clerk explained that Melisa's only option was to pay the city $1,800—$1,800 she did not have—plus the cost of towing and storage. Without the money to pay the city, she was forced to give up her car and declare personal bankruptcy. Now, seven months later, she's broken up with her boyfriend and is forced to ride the bus to work for the first time in her life."
Major U.S. city sued for grabbing cars from innocent owners and demanding ransoms!
Imagine the police confiscating your car, and you can't get it back unless you pay a huge ransom. It's happening in one American city, and citizens are livid ...
www.wnd.com
