Saturday, December 01, 2007
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They bombarded Fort Morgan Police Department Community Relations Officer Darin Sagel with concerns about how laws work and relations with law enforcement.
Part of the purpose of the workshop was to start with the basics, to let the Somali immigrants know what laws mean.
That meant, for instance, talking about why they needed to have insurance for their automobiles and how insurance follows the vehicle, not the person. Also, how points on a driver’s license relate to things like speeding, careless driving and reckless driving.
While Islam, the religion of most Somalis, prohibits use of alcohol — as several pointed out — there have been some Somalis who have used it and as time goes on drinking alcoholic beverages may become more acceptable. That is why it is best to get the word out now, he said.
Similarly, he warned the participants that illegal drugs are seemingly everywhere in Morgan County and the U.S. The worst problem in the county is methamphetamine. Although officers have not seen any Somalis using it yet, Sagel wanted to warn them about how addictive it is. He also warned them to stay away from anyone they may notice using meth, because it can sometimes cause users to become angry or violent, Sagel said.
A big issue for the Somalis was traffic law. Sagel mentioned the various speed limits which are standard even when not posted, as well as what to do when involved in an accident, and this prompted several stories about contact with police.
One Somali man told the story of how his tire blew out as he was entering Interstate 76, causing him to swerve, and how a Colorado State Patrol trooper immediately told him to get out of the car and handcuffed him before talking to him.
The trooper said he had swerved even before the tire blew, but a passenger in the car told Sagel the trooper’s patrol car was in front of the other car and could not have seen what was happening.
Another participant wanted to know why he received a ticket when the driver of a vehicle in front of him was signaling a right turn but went left when the participant was trying to pass him.
Sagel explained that sometimes it is a matter of perspective on what happened and urged them to go to court to explain it to a judge. If they had complaints they could also talk to the officer later to get an explanation or talk to a supervisor.
There seemed to be a consensus summed up by one guest that law enforcement is inconsistent in Colorado. An example one man talked about was how if Fort Morgan police stop someone, they always issue a ticket, but in Greeley people get a couple of warnings before a ticket is given out.
He said at least one Somali decided not to move to Fort Morgan based on that perception.
Sagel said it is true that Fort Morgan officers “work traffic harder,” meaning they may stop people more often. While the department does not track warnings, officers in a small city usually know if they have stopped a particular person before, although with a new population in town that might be a little confused.
He also said a ticket may be issued with no warning depending on how serious the offense is or how much it affects public safety.
A special topic was how to drive in the winter, something newcomers from a tropical land know little about. Sagel said they needed to be sure to completely clear windows of frost and snow to prevent accidents or tickets. He also talked about how slick the roads can get, how much space to leave between cars during bad conditions and how important it is to keep survival gear in a vehicle.
He also warned the Somalis that they have to shovel their sidewalks within 24 hours of the end of a snowstorm.
These last examples show how the immigrants need basics explained, because they may not have any experience in those situations.
The main legal issues Somalis have faced have been related to traffic law. OneMorgan County Coordinator Fairouz Abu Ghazaleh said there is a driving teacher in town willing to help Somalis and an interpreter would be provided if enough people were interested. It is a bit expensive at $300 for full instruction or $50 for help with the written test, but OMC will help with scholarships, she said.
One Somali man wanted to know if it was legal for them to teach each other and Sagel explained about learner’s permits.
Susan Anderson, case management administrator for Lutheran Family Services, said they need to be very careful if they teach people.
“Make sure you know all the laws,” Sagel warned.
Sagel also said that if there is enough interest he might arrange for sessions on traffic law to go through all the basic driving rules.
He said the most basic rule is to “pay attention to everyone around you. They will run into you.”
Anderson said that the Somalis have to take laws very seriously, because troubles can affect immigrant status. Breaking certain laws can affect an employment green card, citizenship status or even mean deportation. Anyone who finds himself in serious trouble needs to contact an immigration lawyer.
Abu Ghazaleh said the two-hour session did not address even half of the issues and another session would need to be scheduled.
“It’s a very big, big topic,” she said.
Sagel said it is possible to arrange a field trip to the courts to give the Somalis some sense of how the justice system works.
Other suggestions were to do seminars on the school system and employment.
— Contact Dan Barker at [email protected].