Racial profiling?

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   habeeposted 13 years ago

   Tell me if this is an example of racial profiling:
   
   I'm white, obviously, and so are my three daughters. One night my youngest daughter and her white friend were on their way home to our house when they were pulled over by the cops for no reason. We lived in BFE at the time, so the girls had cut through the "bad" section of town to get to the interstate. This part of town is comprised of blacks and Hispanics.
   
   When the girls were stopped, three other cop cars immediately joined the first. My daughter phoned me from her cell, and I asked to speak to one of the officers. They refused to talk to me. They also refused to give me or the girls a reason as to why they were stopped. The cops shone a flashlight around the car but didn't search them. They asked the girls what they were doing in that part of town. Don't you have a right to drive anaywhere you want?
   
   The next day at school, I mentioned this to my students. The same thing had happened to several of the whites who had been in that part of town taking black or Hispanic pals home after a basketball or football game. The cops thought the only reason whites would be in the "bad" neighborhood was to buy drugs.
   
   So is this reversed racial profiling??

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      kimberlyslyricsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

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      1. 93

         habeeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Hi, Kimbo! the reason I called the neighborhood "bad" is because there is so much crime there. Also, I've heard it from my students who lived there. Several years ago, I was teaching night school and had a student in my class who lived in that neighborhood. He walked home every night after class, and it was in the dead of winter. I felt bad for him, so I decided to start taking him home every night. The first night I did, he begged me to let him out at the "border" of the neighborhood. He feared for my safety! I wasn't afraid, however, and insisted on dropping him off at his door. I never encountered any probs, either.

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            kimberlyslyricsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            I am glad, but you are very lucky.  The cops never body searched you even with a minor?  Proof of your kindness and it's outcome proves the reverse of your question, meaning Even more proof of no racial profiling.
            
            I believe when we saw such obvious strangers on our streets, it wasn't their colour, just prey, it's so not cool.
            
            I have so much respect for you and love you but totally hate your score today
            
            kiss
            
            racist teacher! 

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2. 62

   Lisa HWposted 13 years ago

   It doesn't strike me as "racial profiling".  I think it was "drug profiling" or even "higher-numbers of people profiling".  If the neighborhoods are "bad" neighborhoods, I'm guessing drug dealing is a big thing there.  Usually, no matter what kind of neighborhood you live in, people are told "If you see anything unusual....".   Maybe the police just noticed the increased cars and "saw something unusual".   If it was more obvious that the kids didn't look like most of the people who live in that neighborhood, I'd think that would suggest "visitors". 
   
   Maybe, too, if the police knew there had been an event that night, they were just looking for kids who may have alcohol (or drugs) in the cars.
   
   In my town (suburban, predominantly, white) I've had police stop when I've been walking at dusk or at night.  They'll ask if I'm OK.  Once one of them said I shouldn't be walking out at night.  He said, "It isn't safe.  I wouldn't walk, and I carry a gun."  Well, it isn't guarantee safe; but my biggest concerns when out walking at night are usually mainly running into raccoons or skunks.  I know there's crime everywhere, but my point is that police sometimes can just ask people what's going on to make sure they get a reading on anything "funny".
   
   I didn't see at not being allowed to walk when and where I want - only that it isn't usual to see a woman walking at night in my town, and that the police were just checking out something that wasn't usual.  Maybe, too, they wanted to make sure the girls were OK.
   
   I almost think it isn't what race the "locals" tend to be.  It's probably that the neighborhood isn't great.  I'd assume if teens (of any color) were in some neighborhood where mostly elderly people live, they may be stopped too.

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3. 62

   mikelongposted 13 years ago

   I would say that the first aspect of "profiling" that I see in Habee's statement is towards the "black and hispanic" areas of town as being "bad"....
   
   So, there isn't drug dealing or use in the "white" areas? There isn't crime there?
   
   Secondly, this demonstrates how economics works to continue segregation....
   
   Third, the fact that Habee pointed out that those with minorities in the cars with them were especially targeted shows that ethnic association still is a major thread in our society....
   
   When will we get passed this nonsense...

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      habeeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Right! It's like the only reason middle-class whites would be in such a neighborhood is to buy drugs. Heaven forbid these white kids actually have black or Hispanic friends!

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4. 84

   wychicposted 13 years ago

   I'd agree that it's more "checking out something unusual." However, I don't know how the laws read where you are, but here you can't just be pulled over for no reason. When I was a teenager that meant that I -- and a lot of my friends -- got pulled over for really stupid things. One of my friends got pulled over because her turn signal was the wrong color (yellow and supposed to be amber)...we both worked the closing shift, both minors, and she took me home close to midnight. I was about the only white person in my apartment building, everyone else was Mexican, and we were teenagers out late so I'm sure he just wanted to make sure we weren't drinking or anything. He also pulled her over right after she dropped me off, so he probably wanted to make sure I wasn't coming right back outside with any illegal goods purchased there (there had been a meth bust there not long before, so I guess that was a reasonable assumption).
   
   I doubt there's really much that can be done about it since the police have never hassled us (in your daughter's case, it sounds like that might be questionable) and I suppose I'd much rather they're actually watching. Just recently there was a shooting here in a guy's home, his wife had really bad eyesight and he died quickly afterward so they had no idea who did it. The police pulled over three teenagers (ages 14-19), probably in a similar check to the ones they used to do with me and my friends, and the kids were acting extremely strange. The officer talked to them until one broke and said the murder weapon was in the trunk...the officer said he didn't expect that at all, he just knew they were acting funny and decided to talk to them for a bit.

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   elayne001posted 13 years ago

   I believe there is racism and profiling going on all the time - it is part of being human - and very hard to overcome - here is an experience I wrote about I had here in Hawaii.
   
   http://hubpages.com/hub/Blatant-Racism- … arking-Lot
   
   when I lived in Tonga for thirteen years, I was often the only blond blue-eyed girl in a large group and felt how it was to be the minority - but I love the Polynesian people - I married one and my children are biracial. We just have to overcome our prejudices and not see everything in colors - however difficult it is. You should see my two blonde blue eyed little granddaughters with their Tongan grandfather - we have had quite some interesting comments and looks. Pretty sad.

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   1. 93

      habeeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Bet those kids are gorgeous!

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