I put a sticker on my rear bumper and have been pulled over twice because of it. The sticker reads “peace and love” in Arabic.
The Morro Bay cop said I rolled through a stop sign (I didn’t). He let me go without a ticket. The SLO cop said I didn’t let a pedestrian completely cross the street (untrue) and he let me go, too. Both cops followed me for a while first, before pulling me over.
I feel a solidarity with my Arab brothers and sisters who believe as I do, and detest extremism from any religious group.
I am leaving the sticker on my bumper. My experiences prove that ignorance and intolerance are not against the law, especially if you are The Law.
This article appears in Oct 15-22, 2009.