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In a process known as “civil asset forfeiture,” the police can claim that a person’s belongings – cash, homes, vehicles, businesses, and more – were used to commit a crime. Then they take those belongings for themselves! Whether it’s true or not, it’s your word against theirs.
Thanks to a 2019 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, they’re gonna have to cut that mess out.
In Timbs v. Indiana, the U.S. Supreme Court condemned the obscene profits states collected by way of police departments greedily seizing private property from predominantly Black and poor citizens.
And it’s a good thing, too, because the excuse the state of Indiana used in court was just plain petty.
In court, Indiana tried to be sneaky, arguing that the Excessive Fines Clause in The United States Bill of Rights – which protects citizens from cruel and excessive fines – only applied at a federal level, meaning States could excessively fine and steal from whoever they wanted!
How convenient, right?
These forfeitures are definitely cruel and unusual punishment. Most happen without due process of the law, since victims don’t even have to be charged with a crime!
Positive rulings like this shine a light on the criminal levels of abuse Black people face at the hands of legal loopholes and authorities who believe we are all guilty until proven innocent.