The internet never seems to tire of a good sovereign-citizen argument. Law enforcement may feel differently.
The Lawrenceville Police Department recently shared bodycam footage from a stop involving a woman who said she did not need a driver’s license or vehicle registration.
She was not driving, she explained. She was “traveling.”
The car was headed for a tow truck anyway.
From “Traveling” to Grilled Cheese
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“No, I’m traveling,” the woman says, insisting she does not have to register the car or carry a driver’s license as long as she is traveling.
She then sings, “You have just violated. You have violated. You have violated.”
A moment later, the subject drifts from constitutional rights to food.
“And see what this place look like,” she says. “What they give you, like, uh, grilled cheese sandwiches without the melted cheese?”
Police said the vehicle was being towed and officers had to inventory it before the wrecker took it away.
“We’re not exactly sure,” the department wrote of the food question, “but it could be a cold grilled cheese.”
Lawrenceville police did not provide the woman’s name or specify what charges, if any, resulted from the stop. The department also blurred portions of the video before publishing it.
She Is Far From the First “Traveler”
The argument has become familiar enough that another sheriff’s office recently devoted an entire Facebook post to it.
After its own “I’m not driving, I’m traveling” encounter in April, the Boise County Sheriff’s Office said people have a right to travel, but operating a motor vehicle still comes with licensing, registration, and insurance requirements.
“‘Traveling’ ≠ ‘Exempt from traffic laws,’” the agency wrote.
Or, in its simpler formulation: “if you take a car, you’ve gotta play by the rules of the road.”
All parties are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.