One of the reason's for this post ... is not to raise more race issue's ... or even to condemn law enforcement ... but to add an issue that is domestic, since I gave my word that I would to a couple local folk's I know who suggested it ... but an issue that strike's every part of our nation ... and has recently came up again. I also want to thank our President for taking valuable time to invite Dr. Henry Gates of Harvard and the police officer who arrested him to the White House, just to sit down over a few beer's and lay the card's on the table ... and discuss a domestic concern ... instead of the constant attention to foreign concern's ... thank you Sir!
In the wee hours of this morning/ late night ... I had some chat with a young lady here in Dallas I visited, over her right's and racial profiling, excessive police force, and the likes ... it had to be these hours because of her occupation. I wasnt granted permission by her to mention her name or occupation or even where in Dallas she lives. She is black, born and raised in Central Dallas, and has some very strong opinion's on these issue's. I have had an opportunity in life to actually get a perspective from both side's of the law, as well as a view of some urban problem's that been going on for decade's, not just only in Dallas ... but across America.
I was explaining first to her about what I posted a couple posting's ago ... about not just rattling off your mouth to officer's when you are detained/ stopped/ pulled over. I mean everyone has their job to do ... and when an officer pull's a "trick" question out like ... "when is the last time you been arrested, and for what, and how many time's?, etc". I mean ... before you got stopped ... he/ she (officer) already ran your plate's for warrant's, okay? Hell ... they probably can tell you a few thing's you forgot about yourself for that matter. She told me she and many young black's even, have this question of trust ... and alot of time's are simply afraid to NOT answer, because some cop's are so quick to jack up a poor black person on the street, and you dont know if it's one of them cop's ... or a cop that's just straight up and not out to jack anyone. She told me that I know that especially ... but I told her ... sure ... I been out there alot ... however ... I CANT know how a young black man or woman may feel or think regardless of how long I been around the street's ... because I NEVER been "black". I can see and hear everything and read every book ... but unless I am the victim and black myself ... I can never clearly see what those must think and feel. All I can tell a person is to exercise their right's as politely as possible and hope for the best.
But this also applies to the officer ... and even many officer's are even of color themselves who may unfairly profile even another person of color, or use force even that is excessive. Across the nation officer's are given culture sensitivity classes as well, and classes on this racial profiling. But like I said ... about the difference of actually being there and experience ... verses just classes and reading book's, is important here.Interaction and communication is very important also, like I mentioned in earlier post's ... get to know those in your sector. Cop's are also in "fear" ... because they dont know if someone is going to pull out a weapon and jack them ... it work's on both side's of the fence. It is also difficult to take some new recruit(any race), just because they had good college scores and reviews, that is from another culture and perhap's grew up in middle class suburbia ... never smoked a joint, or never hung out in the urban enviroment much ... and expect them to just go into a neighborhood that is completely foreign to them ... and know from textbook's and classes how to react against what is their nature. Many part's of urban America are still culturally segregated ... despite how "worldly" and "liberated" and "integrated" we may think we are ... then you have "class" culture/ profiling as well ... which is just as big as an issue.
And class play's even negative to folk's of color ... as this young lady was pointing out ... that if a young black man is driving a top dollar vehicle late at night in a nice area ... he is quicker to be checked out by the cop's than a white person. Which is so true. The way alot of people are pulled over is racially uneven in this nation. And the idea that more people of color are more involved with crime ... I dont buy that. When one get's desperate, and is poverty stricken, or on dope, or a number of other reason's ... they may resort to crime ... because they are "human". Whether you are a cop ... or even a dope dealer on the urban street's ... you MUST profile to a degree ... or you wont make it ... period. The dealer has to be afraid of the thug's that are going to jack him/ her ... as well as the cop's who may ... and the cop has to pick up on thing's that the average person cant to make sure he/ she isnt jacked ... again, it boils down to getting out there and knowing your territory and WHAT to look for ... but you have to profile ... or else you'll get wasted or never any progress.
Career cop's or even career criminal's know how to make assessment's from being in the field ... and have a good idea of how each other think's. I recall being on Lower Sunset Blvd back around 2000 ... with my teenage daughter ... I stopped in a corner store to pick up a pack of smoke's and a couple cold soda's for us ... it was a hot one that day in LA, this is a part of Hollywood, that you must be on your toe's, or you can lose your ass, if you get my drift. My daughter pointed ... "hey ... check out that homeless guy" ... he stood out ... grubby as Hell rag's on his back, Aqualung looking beard ... had his shopping cart full of litter and all he had, etc ... you seen the type probably in your town. But I told her to not be so quick and take a closer look, she couldnt see anything else. I pointed out to her the trim on the upper lip of the mustache, yet the ragged growth and length of the beard, fingernails were too clean, he had a squinted but shifty and quick eye to everyone walking around him... I told her "girl...you just 'made' a cop ... "(similar word's) I told her to trust me ... this dude is a cop, he sure as hell was not a thug ... and not homeless ... or some dealer or running any game. This guy was not black or white, he was latino type ... if I was doing some illegal activity and didnt make that profile, he may have made me and busted my game, and looking at race wouldnt have enabled me to make him.
Profiling is simply our nature as human's ... or any animal ... all animal's in their known territories must be able to make a quick assessment of other's to survive ... human's are not much different. Until we learn to desegregate ourselves and thinking, we will not get a clear assessment as we should, and continue to isolate, cause conflict's, driving us to reaction's and force that may not be necessary ... if we just looked at the whole picture instead of part.
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The pervasiveness of differential treatment by race can be seen from the very fact that it's so easy for a middle-class white person to be unaware that it exists. Had it not been for the fact that I've had a number of conversations about this with a black co-worker I got to know well, I really would have no idea that this is as much a part of the experience of black Americans as it is.
ReplyDeleteInteresting point you brought up Mr.Infidel...and in a ironic way I reckon make's me think of even how many people of color in our country who are in the middle to upper middle class,especially black,that even dont get the picture,or let me say...may have forgotten the picture in some cases,even if they did come from an area of poverty originally. I see some people of color...that are doing fairly well financially for instance...that say that these issue's may be blown a little out of proportion,and that we have changed in our society and all this is just a faded memory...simply because of their good lifestyle and enviroment, and their accomplishment's as a person of color.And much had faded...we certainly are different than the 1960's across this nation...and especially Dallas,but there is still quite a bit of segregated communtities..which I reckon alot is do to "class". Economic's can be hell. :)
ReplyDeletethank you Sir............