Editorial: Watching illegal races shouldn’t be illegal

Thursday, Feb. 19, 2004 | 9:31 a.m.

Illegal street racing is an increasing problem in the Las Vegas Valley, resulting in serious injury and, last summer, the death of a 31-year-old racer. Police definitely have their hands full trying to stop the racing, especially when recent movies such as "2 Fast, 2 Furious" glamorize the activity.

In response, Metro Police is asking the Clark County Commission to make it illegal for people to watch illegal races. The police believe that drivers are encouraged to race by the presence of crowds. So they reason that the fewer the spectators, the fewer the races.

It's debatable whether an ordinance outlawing spectators would result in smaller crowds -- we're not convinced it would extinguish the adolescent behavior of one-upmanship that is at the center of the races. What is clear is that Metro Police's proposal goes too far. As the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada has noted, the effect of the ordinance would be to make criminals out of people who haven't committed a crime. It's an ordinance that not only would be difficult to enforce, but it also could be abused by the police. The County Commission should reject what would be a constitutionally suspect ordinance, one that would criminalize the behavior of people who only are guilty of using poor judgment.