Political Gumbo: Tinted Windows and Front License Plates

On Monday the City and local attorney John Burton announced that a settlement has been reached in the Christopher Ballew case.

Ballew will receive $3 million and in turn will drop his federal civil rights lawsuit against the City.

All of this was avoidable.  

Look let’s be clear, there is not a reason to beat the hell out of an unarmed man and slam his head into the asphalt during a traffic stop.

And the reason for that traffic stop?

The late model Mercedes sedan the former John Muir High School student was driving had tinted windows and no front license plate. Upon seeing that, the police officers made a U-turn to catch up to Ballew.

No charges were ever filed against Ballew, and yes an investigation cleared the police officers. 

Look, I understand what the California penal code says. Yes, it’s illegal to drive without a front plate and tinted windows.

But minor infractions at best, I’d even call trivial.

And yet, still too many people are being pulled over for these types of infractions.

Here’s the money part. The fine for not having front plates can be as high as $197. Ditto on tinted windows.

Stick that fine on somebody making minimum wage or unemployed and it continues the circle of poverty.

But just as important, it leads to more encounters between police and people of color.

Some departments have taken steps to stop these pretextual stops.

According to the LA Times, in 2022 the LAPD changed its policy and required officers suspect a more serious crime before initiating a pretextual stop, instead of stopping someone for a broken tail light, tinted windows or front plates and then use that as a reason to search a vehicle.

In January, the police commission in San Francisco adopted a policy that bars the San Francisco Police Department from making stops for nine specific traffic infractions that some activists called ticky-tack offenses meant to search, incarcerate, and prosecute people of color.

Police can no longer stop cars for rear license plate number not clearly visible, registration tags not visible, or expired less than one year, rear license plate not illuminated, tail lights not working, brake lights not working, objects affixed to windows or hanging from the rearview mirror, a vehicle that fails to activate a turn signal continuously for 100 feet before turning or a person sleeping in the vehicle.

I agree with some of those, some of the others I would not have put on the list. 

Personally, I have been stopped by the police while I was sitting, walking, jogging, talking, driving and one time while standing in my own driveway and I grew up in a nice neighborhood in Altadena. 

Of course, I was not wearing a front license plate on my shirt and since I’m Black — hell I guess I have too much tint all over my body. 

In all seriousness, because of those encounters I have that fear every time those red lights light up my car.

I don’t move. I hold my hands up.

A lot of Black men who like me have never been arrested and have done nothing wrong have that fear. 

No, I don’t believe all police officers are bad, and I don’t believe defunding the police is the answer. 

But if we truly want to close the chasm of distrust between police and some honest, hard working people then pretextual encounters like the one in the Ballew case cannot evolve into violence on either side. 

Simple as that.