Driving While Black A Crime in Arizona!

by Pied Piper Tue Jun 11, 2013 4:46 pm

How to Get Arrested in Arizona for DUI With a BAC of 0.00: Be Black!

Drunk driving is a serious problem in the United States, impacting many thousands of
Americans every year, and so is racism. The two issues converged
recently during a routine traffic stop of 64-year-old retired
firefighter Jessie Thornton by police officers in Surprise, Arizona.

The motorist was handcuffed and taken into custody. Thornton submitted to a Breathalyzer sobriety test and blew a 0.000 blood alcohol content (BAC).

Thornton was eventually free to go, but not before his car had been impounded and the Arizona MVD had been notified of the DUI charge.

Despite the seeming exoneration of the test, the suspect was charged
with a DUI, an assessment that led Thornton’s attorney to quip that the
real crime was, “D-W-B. Driving While Black.”

Thornton told the local ABC News affiliate that he has been pulled over 10 times and issued four tickets since moving from Ohio to the retirement community of Surprise. This latest stop was the first time he’d been taken to the Surprise lockup.

The arresting officer cited the retiree’s red eyes as grounds for the
arrest. Thornton credits chemicals in the neighborhood L.A. Fitness’s
lap pool for the redness, a theory in line with Surprise law
enforcement’s resident DRE—drug recognition expert.

According to Thornton: “After he did all the tests, he says, ‘I would
never have arrested you; you show no signs of impairment.’ ”

A blood test that revealed no trace of alcohol or drugs validated this perception.

Thornton was eventually free to go, but not before his car had been impounded and the Arizona MVD had been notified of the DUI charge, which resulted in a notification that his driver’s license was being suspended and he would be required to attend "some sort of drinking class or something.”

Rather than attend the drinking class, former firefighter filed a claim against the city of Surprise seeking $500,000.