Local Laws

Noise ordinances

This is a common issue with those of us who put on shows at houses. The Seattle Police Department website (http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/police/prevention/Tips/Noise.htm) states that any gathering at a residential property emitting noise that can be heard 75 feet or more from the property, which occur Friday and Saturday nights between 10pm and 7am, is defined as a “Residential Disturbance.”

However, SMC 25.08.500 (Public disturbance noises) states that it is unlawful to knowingly make any noise created by a musical instrument that “disturbs” another person, and then refuse to stop said noise when told to do so by police. This also applied to any human voice that “disturbs” another person after 10pm, any night.

So basically, in Seattle if anyone complains and the police come and the police tell you to turn it off, you gotta! If the police tell you to turn it down, then you have no obligations either way until they return.

This means that it would be a good idea to talk to all your neighbors before ever doing an event that might end up “disturbing” them. Be nice; give them your phone number so you can talk things through without them going to the police.

Jaywalking

It’s illegal in Seattle, and caries a $40 fine. So yeah, don’t do it when cops are around.

Bicycle Laws

Helmets are mandatory in Seattle. Front lamps and rear reflectors are mandatory at night. Hand signals are required. When riding on a road, a bicycle must,”ride as near to the right side of the right through lane as is safe.” And in most other ways, “Every person operating a bicycle upon a roadway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to a driver of a vehicle.” That means that you can’t drink and ride a bike, or be drunk and ride a bike. Seattle police like to fuck with bicycle riders, so be careful. Remember that it is also completely legal to break one of these rules if it is a matter of safety (ie, not riding on the farthest right of a lane). If you’d like more info about bicycle safety and local laws concerning Bicycles, contact The Bikery (thebikery.org), or look up the most updated laws at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/bike/Laws.htm. Bob Anderton is a really great bike lawyer and resource give him a jingle if you need to.

Tenant’s Rights

Seattle has some pretty good tenant’s rights laws. For more info, visit

tenantsunion.org/rights

Marijuana

• decriminalized but still illegal

How to Deal With the Cops

Many of us have had enocunters with the police. Whether at a protest, on the street, at a coffee shop, at your home or handcuffed in the back seat of a cop car. Police are never your friend. They are always attempting to gain information, threaten arrest or physical harm, or try to come into my home without a warrant or probable cause. Police are frightening, intimidating, mainpulative and all those other things that make them not-your-friend. When dealing with the police please consider the following advice.

Know Your Rights!!! (The few that are left)

1. The best advise is...Never, ever, ever talk to the police, FBI, DEA, Border Patrol whoever. You still have the right, regardless of your status, to not answer questions even if you are detained or arrested. You cannot be punished for refusing to answer questions. Get yourself that lawyer before you start talking.

Just say, “I am going to remain silent. I want to see a lawyer” and keep repeating this if they keep asking.

2. You are walking down the street and suddenly, "Stop, police. Where are you going? Where have you been?!" Or some other form of harrassment. First, you do not have to answer questions. But what else can you do:

    - You can say, " I do not want to talk to you" and walk away. DO NOT RUN! (Remember: Cops ARE armed and dangerous)

    - You can ask if you are free to go and if the cops say yes then walk away.

    - If the police say you are not under arrest but cannot go then you are being detained. You can ask, "Am I      being detained?" If detained, an officer can pat you down outside your clothes if they think you are      dangerous (whatever that means). If they do more than this say, " I do not consent to this search." Never, ever consent to a search.

    - Always remember whether detained or arrested you do not have to answer any questions, EVER!

     - Detentions can easily lead to an arrest. A detention simply means that the police want to arrest you but do not have enough evidence to do so. So, don't make their job easy, say nothing.

If the Cops or FBI (or any other agency) comes a knockin':

Do not let them in. Never consent to a search. They need a warrant if they force their way in keep repeating, "I do not consent to this search." Ask for their warrant. Check it. Is your name correct? Is your address correct? If not tell them, "I am sorry but you cannot come in this person does not live here or this is not the correct address." Also, warrants usually state what they are looking for or sometimes even where they can look. Like if they are looking for a revolutionary sock puppet they would not find this on your computer so they would not need to look there. Again, document this search and get all of those badge numbers and names.

Smile for the Camera!

If you are one of those people that finds yourself encountering police often. Then carry some sort of device to document what is said, names and badge numbers of the police, and names and numbers of witnesses if neccessary. I like to have a video camera but a voice recorder, digital camera, or paper and pencil would work just fine. Police DO NOT like to be recorded or documented in any way especially if they are about to do something illegal, which i. Observing them and documenting their actions may have very different results; for example, it may cause them to respond aggressively, or it may prevent them from abusing you or your friends.

Some Resources for more info:

http://coldsnaplegal.wordpress.com: The Coldsnap Legal Collective is a legal collective based in the Twin Cities. They are an autonomous collective whose purpose is to work in solidarity with other groups or individuals in order to EDUCATE, EMPOWER, and SUPPORT the radical community by sharing knowledge, raising awareness, and developing a network of legal support and solidarity. This site is awesome please check it out.

http://www.midnightspecial.net: The Midnight Special Law Collective is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to providing legal trainings and accessible, relevant, democratic and accountable legal support to a wide range of activists participating in the struggle for social change. As activists demystifying the law we shatter the accepted limitations on learning - we assert everyone's right to access and everyone's ability to understand the law.

http://www.aclu.org: American Civil Liberties Union has a wealth of information. If you ask me, the ACLU sometimes has some questionable politics such as defending hate groups, but they do have a lot of info compiled about your rights.