Honk Horn for Peace in Sacramento: Get a Ticket

strangely, the police seem to selectively engage in this kind of rigorous enforcement only at labor/left events, when they could just otherwise counsel people and warn them

perhaps, a minor issue, but this kind of pettiness is indefensible, so complaints can be filed at the Sacramento Office of Police Accountability in the Sacramento City Manager's Office at (916) 808-5704

I did so, and I encourage others to do so as well, and, note, finally, that the person ticketed was . . . . apparently of Middle Eastern descent, of course

--Richard Estes


[R.E. Graswich: Beware: Honking for peace can be detrimental to your pocketbook

By R.E. Graswich -- Bee Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Monday, December 20, 2004

[Horn a plenty: Arash Ebrahimi was driving through the intersection of 16th and Jay when he noticed the peace protesters. They have been there on and off for months. They have signs telling motorists to "honk for peace." Said Arash, "I felt the need to express myself by honking." He honked and drove up 16th. Got stuck in traffic. Heard a tapping on his window. It was a bicycle cop, Sgt. Dave Valdez. "He asked me if I had used my horn because something was obstructing the roadway," Arash said. "I told him I used it to honk for peace." The admission prompted the cop to scratch out a citation for "Unsafe use of horn." Arash was stunned. "I've never heard of this," he said. "The intersection is filled with people honking. I wonder if I was targeted for a specific reason." Police Capt. Joe Valenzuela said merchants complained about the honking. "One guy in a diesel laid on the air horn," Joe said. "Another was parked in the intersection honking." The law is clear. It says, "The driver of a motor vehicle, when reasonably necessary to insure safe operation, shall give audible warning with his horn. The horn shall not otherwise be used, except as a theft alarm." Arash is fighting his ticket, calling it arbitrary, selective enforcement. Here's hoping cops nail everyone who blows a horn when not necessary. ...]