The Thomas Chronicles

On first glance, this small piece of news doesn’t sound too significant. The LA Daily News reported today that police officers are telling IndyMac customers to stay calm; otherwise, they’ll be arrested.

To provide some background to this story, Pasadena-based bank, IndyMac, has just gone financially belly up from the continuing ripple effects of the sub-prime loan disaster. Rather than let the bank go under, the federal government has stepped and has taken it over.

I don’t think I need to get too involved in telling you that a) this is bad and b) that the ripple effects of this bank’s demise might extend further than Pasadena.

So, as would be expected, IndyMac customers are filling into IndyMac banks to withdraw their money from this proverbial sinking ship, and, as would also be expected, the customers are none too happy about it.

Although I understand the necessity of keeping order and calm in this situation, the ultimatum the police gave the customers smacks of something even more ominous.

The lead from the LA Daily News reads:

Police ordered angry customers lined up outside an IndyMac Bank branch to remain calm or face arrest Tuesday as they tried to pull their money on the second day of the failed institution’s federal takeover.

At least three police squad cars showed up early Tuesday as tensions rose outside the San Fernando Valley branch of Pasadena-based IndyMac.

“Stay calm or face arrest”? That’s an awfully slim pretext to arrest someone, isn’t it?

According to the standard they’ve stated here, can’t they say with equal validity that they don’t like the look on someone’s face, therefore, they can be arrested?

What? Are your emotions now grounds for arrest?

I know it was slim before, such as arresting people for “disturbing the peace”, “reasonable cause” for search and seizure and other things of this nature. But making ones’ emotions the basis of legality leads our system into strange territory, and it smacks of the ‘Thought Police’, if you ask me.

I’m sure there are more punitive measures a police officer can take short of arrest to keep a crowd of disgruntled customers calm, such as pulling them from the line, issue warnings, etc. Of course, the threat of arrest must be maintained as a deterring factor, but it shouldn’t be used as a first resort. That’s absurd.

Keeping order does not equate to strong man tactics, especially when the offense if measured in something as nebulous as a man’s emotions.