Race a Factor in Police Tactics
Justice Department Study Shows Blacks, Hispanics Treated Differently
Justice Department Study Results
The above-mentioned article reported that Hispanics and people of African descent (Blacks) were more than twice as likely to be searched than people of European descent (Whites). Blacks were more likely to be arrested than Hispanics, and more than twice as likely to be arrested than Whites. Police also used force or the threat of force almost four times as much in cases involving people of African descent when compared to cases involving people of European descent.
The report supports the contention of many who claim that police actions are often racially motivated. In April, the Sikh Sangat News reported that Kuldeep Singh Nag, an former member of the US Navy and Bronze star recipient, was viciously assaulted by a police officer who also hurled racial slurs at the victim. Nag's crime? He had the audacity to suggest to the officer that his van with expired tags parked in his driveway had every right to be there because it was on private property.
Police and Racial Incidents
The infamous Sean Bell incident in New York and the multitude of others that come under public scrutiny suggest, despite law enforcement claims to the contrary, that race is a significant factor in how people are treated by officers of the law, and those who happen to be non-White are subject to less than equal treatment under the law. Police brutality protests are not uncommon, but despite citizens' outcries, law-enforcement incidents with racial overtones persist. It isn't much of a stretch to conclude that such incidents negatively influence attitudes toward police held by people of color.
60 Minutes Stop Snitchin'
Recently CBS's 60 Minutes ran a segment critiquing the "Stop snitchin'" doctrine promoted by various rappers, and highlighted the rapper Cam'ron. The doctrine supports the notion that one should not speak to police when they are investigating crimes, even if you have valuable information that can help solve the crime. Although most who responded to the 60 Minutes segment at the cbsnews.com readers' forum spoke out against the "no snitchin'" perspective, others suggested that the "stop snitchin'" mentality was justified because police were not to be trusted and discriminated against people of African descent.
Advocating a perspective that allows criminals free reign in any community, particularly in communities where criminal activity is already rampant, seems self-defeating. Yet, one can at least understand why many might be reluctant to interact with police when statistics and media reports support the notion of racist police forces across the country.
First Step of a Solution
Until police departments uniformly commit to wiping out incidents that are, or appear to be, racially motivated misconduct by police officers, hostile relationships will prevail amongst police departments and the communities they are mandated to protect. Instituting community relations panels and oversight committees in all police departments where there is potential for such animosity between police and the communities they serve may be one initial step in addressing this lingering problem.
Published by Tamaj13
First 11 1/2 years spent in Trinidad & Tobago before moving to Bklyn, NY. Spent much time in New England going to school and playing tennis. I have an MA in Communication from Univ of Miami and am a former F... View profile
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18 Comments
Post a Comment"Blacks represent 25.6% of NYC population but account for 50.6% of those stopped by cops". Juvenille offenders in a suburban New Jersey court are twice as likely to be sent to jail as white juvenille offenders. Gayle Odom said she always uses her turn signals, so why would someone else be pulled over who used his as well? I guess I mistyped it. The driver had "black" skin, used his signal to change lanes, was pulled over and told he did not. The girls in the backseat had to give up the piece of wrapped birthday cake, because the cops were sure it was drugs. I drove on that NJ highway for years, and the people who signal to change lanes are few and far between.
Shamontiel, I AM the reason things will change! I'm certain this world will be a better place with positive encouragement to our young. THAT IS WHAT I DO! I refuse to apologize for my or anyone else's treatment while our police force does their best to safeguard neighborhoods. I didn't stop at a stop sign when confronted with a dozen men running toward me. (resulting in my arrest) I thought I was going to be robbed or raped. It was only later I realized they thought I was there to buy drugs. I WAS obnoxious to the police, asking why I was being pulled over while they ignored the aggressors. As for my high school comparison, I let you know "looking the other way" goes both ways. Rocco, I ALWAYS use my blinker lights. Let's ALL quit blaming and work together to make our children's world a better place to live and let live. Peace
Oops, I meant not all drug dealers are "black". No Snitching is a tough call. If one's grandmother was raped and murdered it might be well to co-operate with the police. In "Freedom Writer's Diary" one teenage girl was on the witness stand giving false testimony that would have sent an innocent young black man to jail. She looked at his wife and child in the court room and knew she had to tell the truth, despite being a snitch which her family had instilled upon her for much the same reason~La Raza or the race must stick together and not rat on their own.
I wonder how many times Gayle has been pulled over by police because she did not use her blinkers to signal a lane change on a highway. That is not about police responding to a call in a predominatly black neighborhood that is an example of racism. 4 police men shooting at an 18 year old girl 27 times (and killing her in the process) does not usually happen to white 18 year old girls. Police and firemen "of color" have had to face bigotry from there fellow officers. Not all drug dealers live in ghetto neighborhoods, nor do they have "black" skin.
And by the way, Gayle, I love the way you completely ignored my question that DID relate to police during my high school years and instead decided to tell some completely unrelated story about how an athlete groped you. And that's a bunch of bullshit to say the police must because I already know it was going to be followed by justifying why they are incredibly aggressive and judgmental. Just as the basketball player had no right to touch you, the police have no right to just walk around sticking mops in folks' rectums, beating the hell out of people with batons, shooting someone 41 times for pulling out his wallet, beating up women in bars, and/or shooting a man on his wedding day for absolutely no apparent reason.
Tamaj13, I haven't visited this article in awhile. My apologies. Been busy ranting. (Side note: Gayle, you are the primary reason why things do NOT get resolved in a community. Instead of trying to focus on an issue that you know needs fixing, you'd rather bring up something that has NOTHING to do with the article or even the subject to say "But look at this! This happened to me too!" If the article was about athletes, I'd humor you. But it's not. MOVING ON! Tamaj, you have a point. Instead of complaining and blaming, we should try doing something about it. But the thing is that corrections are made BECAUSE people speak up so this is the first step.
Let's turn this around... 10th grade, I was pushed against the wall and my breasts groped by the STAR basketball player. I ran out of my 10th grade Math class the SENIOR (12th grader in a 10th grade class) basketball player assaulted me in and was told...maybe I IMAGINED it!!!!!!! MAYBE they FORGOT THEY called me into the office the day before to tell me I'd scored 2nd highest on the STATE EXAM for the entire 10th grade in the state of Texas. Let's just "forget" about this, OK? I let them forget about the schollarship they offered me the day before, and I hope eventually the "everything you do comes back to you" mentality I believe in got him, cause no one would help me in 1974. Oh, by the way, he was a BLACK superstar. GIVE ME A BREAK AND LETS ALL JUST GET ALONG. QUIT BLAMING!!!! I Didn't have ANY slaves and I can only give you 4 words Glen Beck - get enlightned! This article was about profiling. Spend a day with me in my daughter's neighborhood to understand why the police MUST be as
Forgive my typo there folks, I should have deleted the "while" and said, "we are misusing..." Editing in a hurry will do that :).
You said: "we misusing so much of our energy arguing about who is to blame, when most of that energy should be directed toward eradicating the systems that result in the confrontational dynamic among various social groups." - I couldn't agree more - there is a much better use for our energy and time than that.
I don't know what was a more interesting read - the article or the comments - good job provoking thought and discussion too!