Berkeley, California Roadblocks

Another popular spot is Shattuck between Dwight and Adeline. Roadblocks are usually on Fri/Sat nites. Don’t drive in Berkeley if you can avoid it!

Ridiculously bad traffic engineering plus super-overzealous cops = high likelihood of getting pulled over and ticketed for BS. I’ve lived out here nine years, been pulled over three times in Berkeley (not counting the roadblocks) and the first two were utter BS – case dismissed.

The third time I probably actually did deserve to get pulled over for speeding, and given a warning or maybe a ticket, but I ended up spending the nite in the drunk tank, even though I hadn’t had a drop! Another hapless citizen got the same treatment that nite. The DA declined to press charges due to lack of evidence (I blew 0.00 twice and gave them a blood test which was negative too! I have a gimpy ankle so I couldn’t walk straight and tried to explain this to the cop) but now I have an arrest record which I’m trying get rid of legally.

I’ve been pulled over ZERO times anywhere else, and I don’t even drive very much – I bike to work and the store and all my friends in the neighborhood. The Berkeley PD: it’s not just gung-ho patrollers, it’s their dept policy to harass people.