Yes, it’s against the law to ride a bike under the influence.
And yes, bike riders are legally required to have both a headlight, and at the very least, a rear reflector.
But the first is just a misdemeanor with a maximum $250 fine. And the second is usually just a fix-it ticket, often dismissed if the rider can prove he or she has put lights on the bike in question.
Neither usually punishable by the death penalty.
Yet that’s what happened over the weekend as a 50-year old bike rider was shot and killed in South L.A.
The L.A. Sheriff’s Department reports that the man, identified by KACB-7 as Terry Laffitte, was riding without lights and appeared to be drunk when he was spotted by Sheriff’s deputies at 9:12 pm Saturday on Miramonte Blvd in unincorporated L.A. County.
When the deputies tried to stop him, he continued riding to his home in the 6100 block of Miramonte. The officers followed him to the back of his home, where he reportedly punched one of them in the face, leading to a scuffle that eventually included members of his family who tried to pull the officers off Laffitte.
During the fight, he allegedly pulled out a gun, leading both deputies to fire a single shot each; Laffitte died at the scene.
The L.A. Times reports that two guns were found on the man, one of which was a replica.
According to the Sheriff’s Department, both Laffitte and members of his family who lived at the house are known gang members.
However, according to the report from KABC-7, family members say the shooting was unjustified.
“My brother was on the ground. They had his hands behind his back,” said Laffitte’s sister, Sandra Cotton. “He didn’t have a gun. Why would you shoot him if he was already on the ground and you guys had possession of him?”
Laffitte’s sister said the altercation was recorded on a cellphone, but she claims the device was confiscated by the sheriff’s department. Detectives said no cellphones were confiscated.
Family members said Laffitte had turned his life around and did not carry guns.
Of course, claims like that are easy to make.
But sometimes, they turn out to be true. Kern County Sheriff’s deputies are accused of illegally confiscating cell phones from people who witnessed a fatal police beating in the Bakersfield area — and allegedly deleting a video of the incident.
So let’s be clear about one thing.
You have a 1st Amendment right to record anything that occurs in public, whether or not it involves the police. And without a subpoena, they have no more right to take your phone or camera, or confiscate any photos or video on it, than anyone else on the street.
Less in fact, since police are required to protect the rights of the public and adhere to legal standards that the general public isn’t.
And while it happens far less often than some would suggest, it is also not unheard of for officers to plant a gun following an illegal shooting. I once knew a cop in another city who made a point of carrying a cheap handgun to drop at the scene in case he ever shot an unarmed person — and according to him, had used it in at least one case.
Of course, there’s nothing to suggest that’s what happened here, other than the statements of family members whose credibility has already been challenged by the gang accusations.
But even gang members have rights. And clearly, the LASD has some questions to answer.
Like how a simple misdemeanor traffic stop was allowed to escalate into fatal altercation.
And it’s not the first time it’s happened.
as with most computer hard drives, most deleted data can be recovered.
Your stepping up your game in this one perhaps never have you been less lame- thanks so much! Everly increasingly so your bring ing it in with no shortgage of guts in what your willing to be necessarally brutal with your so honest as to seem contrived touch.
On my way here I got tripped up though- and now see you more recently I’m not sure with your hat brought out the sharing or not cat in that place that begins with the words “Man” and “hat” and it’s about that that I’ve in turn come to share my effort at bringing out my gat. (will read the link about international more then leering supposedly soon it’s opened already but timelyness has me proceeding here first as I said as a goon)
Especially as over there moderation delays my spoon.
The trains of our brains maybe necessary in the face of Tianamen events noted here reigns. Many followed around the second shot of course, but that scene got locked down and micro-sd swallowing capsules are not yet in every pocket or even clown gown. So in public, in our lights, only thencan we take back this century of car-reened off course endless nights to what used to be our roads not just for combustion and worse actually ugly dealed up toads carrying barely not merely so poorly toads. Our cops are not our master’s, and when they in our ghetto influence us too much, for example killing instead of prudently actually risking being killed by lucky lead instead, it’s far more of us who certainly end up if not then worse then dead. Of this worship of fact I’m wed. The death penalty for them won’t put the harm to bed. The law of lights is not about us being more overt for any them to put in there sights. You report in essence whatever his color’s of been, insufficiently camou’ed regardless of how amowed did he fall. This is the consequence of loose interpretation by nearly all.
The imposition of helmets shows that I could be wrong- but reflectors are not just certainly for passage detectors. It bother’s cops, the one who nearly got away by boat, the more recent who took a bunch including one literally in his throat, mobility, it bothers them, when catching up takes more then whim, and they feel as if mere tiny tim. Submit not he died. Relatives I’m sure would of rather seen him eventually only fried. The NRA wins on this,for in t here book it’s the less feared tresspass against which more should be jeered. Cops do not have the right to take life only because there’s is risked- especially when the risk isi b rought upon themself- with nonfelonious suspicion behindi the pursuit and entry in where every man should be able to relax a bitand hang his suit. IN such circumstance the rules of engagement should entice us more to enragement.
Leave the lethal on the curb- or wait there for better armored otherwise iI’m lacking in verb.
Oh yueah to further hint its’ not just here that in custody since another has been made to more then wince.
Custodial executions used tobe generally frowned upon. Those where teh days hegh.
A long introduction.
Contributing I do fear to my ultimate as well abduction- but long ago so be it’ed that, my less has been to sing it until the spat.
Country roads are one thing.
We have the right to go dark in the city- and its’ about time for us to be so nitty. Without needing to register, having no plate requiring shine, invisible for for some, and I say this glum, is fine. Not tobe fined or for other then to be dined intruded upon.
I’ve served serious time for hear me now as I rhyme- false alligationso of improper mounting of my lime- so yeah I balked adn now it contributes to my talk.
Against enforcement increasing must old laws be locked.
The cops can wear night vision gear- we don’t have to paint a target for them into us to steer.
However dark we like are beer, or are ourselves.
Not to be put down like fucking dwelves if they sit it fit to dodge about such swelves.
Swell it ain’t. Pursuit again requires cause- and no the court ain’t yet heard such cause- pre-arrest lest!
I wrote though, in caring about actually real bikes for sharing:
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karl
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Wow this is a dangerous -uber so- topic. “lightest” is far too literal. The purpose of rail is to ration access by other then car ownership taxpayers, and by that I mean like “tobacco” tax, a expoitive relationship of victimisation by predatory entities of vulnerables ,of the “reasonable” person in practice, so these ‘trains’ will quickly require if successful, like modernising bike racks would of and should of even if they can no longer given the give away to ‘light’ like rail fiend peddlers siezing the space needed for that progress…
anyway we can be proactive
we can say the train is not to be ditched in the bike lane but when it reaches sufficient mass gets the actual road to use and the average speed, the elapsed time per rider, not peek times, are what matters for enforcing minimum speeds, and that they get a lower speed then the dinasoars who despite jack rabbitign and skidding into the red lights suffer congestion we do not but that makes them more likely guilty of violating the loitering in there commute law.
In fact we can petition for enforcement of the law. There being a car in front of you is no excuse. You if your in a car that can not pass or be passsed areas guilty as they are for breaking the law of using the road eefficiently. Collectigvely we can put points on all the license plate registrants by cam who exceed the time limits implied by the speed limits between camera’s. Don’t hop ona bike but instead think you can catch up on calls or audiobooks orwhatever, starbucks in your cup, rap turned up and up- the bill will come untilthe roads are freely flowing again… even if at ‘meager’ improvements inspeed we can provide like doubling from ten to 20 mph with ease and fun and no need for piped in sleaze topass the time.
on May 25, 2013 at 1:20 am | Replykarl
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p.s.In the 1920′s only did a now known as accountability office be born in america for our hired hands. For local government though it can not be the only cop nor have ombuds or governors nor initiatives stopped the final nail we should fear is now pounded in so deep that it’s become the needle hidden in our coffins hay we must find or with far less life live so fiends can play. “Citibank” or it’s London equivalents are making what’s actually been the issue in personal bike ownership quietly be criminalised- if it doesn’t suck we won’t be welcome soon and there will be no however anticipated actual boon. Technology means the future bike can not even need to hover but rather gracefully far more ride around on it’s own seeking where it’s needed and never need cover. Where payphones barely intruded racks are now foolishly getting rooted. They are not about mobility- they are for warehousing and polluting and diluting the impact of real tact. The real train will suffer no shortage of silicon brain- your ‘seat’ in being part of it’s fleet will vibrately bleet and all you’llneed to is semper down to the street to be handed it by it’s prior enjoyer. Needing no foyer, only real lawyer, this train heroically can be venal carheads too terrifying to be even yet feared bain.
But for me its’ deafening absence is us STILL NOW going down the drain in the needlessly tartar rare sure to horrifically stain lane. If real trains have any gains it’s in sharing there other then corporal grains to in not waste so much refrain.
END OF STORY
on May 25, 2013 at 1:37 am | Replykarl
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OR TO BE CLEARER I GUESS RENTING IS NOT SHARING. CarAvan’s are not entrained not because they lack chain but because each rider brings there own bike which I hopefullly obviously don’t actually like- the only thing worse is to rent a engineered as pre hearse bezerk design of arrogant jerk. The modern bike will look less like a trike and more like a witch’s broom- the very ether not air it’s angelic loom. A train, one with a track, makes trips, but here only one time a day parts from your lips. I’m all for organised sharingof our roads but until we can shove those stinking toads off every other hour then say to them perhaps once a day will let you on to not need another shower. The ‘conductor’ is so obsolete- especially if she’s not there just to greet! Festive? Not even restive. Marginilising rather. Flashed, or internet together dashed is more like it. SHOWMETHEMOB.org consulted could be hacked up in a day for all even wifi only owning twenty dollar contraptions with to more then play. Like omeoba’s we can flow- on all’s oled screen’s all we need is help to see us glow to hypergrow and cover every inch of asphault in a stynch.
Sidewalks then will be safe, us running next to them again, instead of empty packs parked in blighting sound bite snacks too ugly to just call ‘racks’ blocking all but the sveltest and then only if not in packs of there own.
It’s about us using the roads instead of continued bruising to serve no one goads.”
coming soon to:(or not)
https://ladotbikeblog.wordpress.com/2013/05/22/bike-trains-are-the-lightest-rail/