Originally Posted by
dougmc
Racial profiling, real or perceived, really isn't a reason to run from the police.
Granted to a point, that point being that if said racial profiling carried with it bodily injury to those who have been profiled. If that is the case and in some areas I'm sure that it is. Would you want to risk stopping knowing that others of your group have had the crap beat out of them or worse by cops?
Originally Posted by
dougmc
So, we have a cop. He thinks lots of blacks are criminals, so he stops every one he sees that looks even vaguely suspicious and asks them what they're doing. He's a racial profiler.
So we have another cop. He's not a racial profiler, but he's very dedicated -- so he stops everybody he sees that looks even vaguely suspicious and asks them what they're doing.
Profiling or not, there's no additional reason to run from cop #1 than cop #2 ... though having a gun, trespassing on a construction site might be enough reason to run from either cop in spite of he risks.
True enough on the surface, but see above. How many members of a minority group does it take getting the crap beat out of them or worse before all members of that group become overly suspicious of all cops?
I'm reminded of something that happened to me several years ago right after Columbine. Because of my problem with the cold I was in the habit of wearing a long black canvas duster. I was going to a job interview and had transferred buses at the main terminal downtown. I get on the bus and swipe my card and before I can move down the aisle to take my seat the driver asks me "you're not in that trench-coat mafia, are you?" To which I responded, "No." And took my seat.
The driver get's off of the bus and goes into the terminal. I didn't think anything of it as that is where they take their breaks. He comes back out with a Tampa LEO in tow, to "check me out." Fortunately for me the LEO knew me on sight from transferring buses there and told the driver that I was okay. The driver then tried to explain it way by saying something to the effect of "you can't be too careful."
After I got where I needed to go I asked myself (and later on several friends) what would have happened if instead of being at the main downtown terminal if I had been at a stop out on the road. Would he have stopped for me, or would he have driven on by?
Originally Posted by
dougmc
If you have a cop that really doesn't like blacks (or some other group) and books them on bogus charges or stuff like that -- that goes beyond simple profiling. But by itself, profiling doesn't put innocent people in jail, for example.