In the past two months, I have been pulled over four times in the Haywood Road vicinity in West Asheville, and I'm wondering: What is the deal?!
I drive a Nissan Sentra – no weird bumper stickers (not that that should be probable cause, but we all know that it sometimes is), tail and brake lights work; this is my neighborhood, so I don't speed through it; and no traffic violations. Twice, there has been a "random" roadblock. Basically, the officer checked me out, looked at my driver's license and tags, sniffed the car, shone the flashlight around inside – searching, but not searching – and said, "Have a nice night."
The most recent time I was stopped, a ticket was written for my boyfriend's expired tags. That was a recent Wednesday morning on Riverview Drive – my neighborhood – and I kid you not: At the time I was receiving that ticket for the tags, there were six police cars there. Six! Don't they have anything better to do than have a roadblock on Riverview at 11 a.m.? Seriously.
A few months ago, my two good friends were pulled over on Sulphur Springs Road after turning off Haywood Road towards home. According to them, the officer's explanation was: "I thought I saw you rolling something." Needless to say, after some awkward bumbling, they were told, "Have a nice night."
Now, I don't generally break laws, and I'm all for making my neighborhood a safe place to be, but this is really starting to feel like harassment. I can't imagine that the Asheville area is so safe and secure that the officers have nothing better to do than make the average law-abiding driver traveling down Haywood Road feel like they are running the gauntlet. Again I ask: What is the deal?
— Stacy Claude
Asheville
The reason is because the Colony of Haywood Road was once a very seedy part of West Asheville. And it still is at times, and I don’t think it had to do with the car you drive, they just pull random people over, I have been pulled before, no biggie.
Just remember things are not as peaceful as they seem on that side of town.
Let’s see what happens if they do this on Kimberley Ave. or on some nice street in Biltmore Forest. It seems that my residing address makes me suspect.
There’s definitely been an increased police presence in West Asheville lately. The funny thing is, it doesn’t seem to be doing much good. I live on Riverview Drive as well and I’m not noticing any shortage of speeding drivers. If they really want to help, they should try pulling over speeding cars (rush hour is a good time, so is really late at night) instead of these roadblocks that assume the worst without cause. The roadblocks are pointless and annoying. Even better, could we have speed bumps and (oh please) a light at the corner of Haywood/Beverly Road/Ridgelawn?
How about speedbumps on Swannanoa while you’re @ it? Now that Michigan has been changed w/ stopsigns all the Wanckstas and hillbillies speed down (and up) Swannanoa. I have seen people driving sixty miles an hour in a 25, Big city trucks doing 40, easy, and I love to see a patrolcar parked across the St. from a pedestrian crossing as we try to cross the st…on their cellphone,or computer. They wave. Pedestrians are obstacles, not people.
You can’t be squandering law enforcement resources on speeders when there is the remotest possibility that someone might have a pack of rolling papers in their car. Where are your priorities?
It’s largely about quotas and revenue. And roadblocks are harassment.