The Back Alley Archives

Sweet police state you have there Quincy, Illinois.

Some guy's friend gets killed by a drunk driver and he decides to do something about it. He starts a service to keep drunks off the road by offering free rides home. It turns out that Quincy, Illinois, is well stocked with semi-responsible drunks, so "business" booms. He adds another car to the service, and eventually a bus. Local taxi companies are not amused.

http://reason.com/blog/2010/08/05/guy-offer-free-rides-to-keep-d

So what do the taxi thugs do? They run to the city council and beg them to stop this criminal from stealing their profits! They raise enough hell to get the city to add a definition of "for hire" that includes the situation where there's no fee for the taxi service but the driver accepts tips. Dude applies for his newly required permit and there's some hangup with the city. But there's still drunks who need a ride home, so he continues serving the public without using coercion, force, or even charging for his service.

So what does the city mafia do? They perform "stings" on him of course! He's been arrested twice so far.

I'd be awful surprised if the DA's office does anything about it.

If they do...that's why the concept of a jury pardon (though not statutory) still hangs around.

AA, I'm with you on this one. Those city council people that encourage this and the police chief should be run out of town.

I'd be awful surprised if the DA's office does anything about it.

Werd. I'll be interested to see how this plays out.

If they do...that's why the concept of a jury pardon (though not statutory) still hangs around.

Now, if only courts would explain that to jurors instead of expressly grandstanding about the necessity of jurors not judging the law.

That's why the Fully Informed Jury Association is one of my favorite groups in the world.

AA, I'm with you on this one. Those city council people that encourage this and the police chief should be run out of town.

I just can't believe that the city had the balls to define "for hire" so damn broadly.