Comments on: I was just racially profiled

By: Stefan

Stefan — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:29:23 +0000

All this Black / White crap is getting old. We have a new president, AND A NEW ERA. we are human beings first. of course there are a lot of sick racists out there but they are now in the minority, AND CRIME HAS NO COLOR BARRIER! there are criminals in all races. just live your life and let the other guy live his.

By: Mark Elliott

Mark Elliott — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:08:06 +0000

If he lived in your neighborhood, perhaps he would have recognized you.

By: Paul

Paul — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 01:02:20 +0000

Cops are supposed to look for things that are out of place. As long as they act professionally and courteously, I don’t see a problem.

The alternative is to have them sitting around in their cars waiting till something happens. I’d much rather they be proactive.

By: Matthew Freeman

Matthew Freeman — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 18:39:38 +0000

Katrina,
I didn’t mean to leave the impression that my situation was analogous to the discrimination faced by people of color and religious minorities in this country. I tried to relay that more clearly in my previous comment (#5).

I was simply sharing an experience I had where I wished that I had been able to more effectively interact with society’s assumptions about race. It’s the whole concept of being “out of place” that I find problematic, even while I understand where it comes from.

Thanks for commenting.

By: katrina

katrina — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 14:04:35 +0000

Sorry, but I people of color go through much more high intense situations everyday. From African Americans to Muslims so I think your situation is not that serious.

Also, their the police that is their job. If it wasn’t for Oklahoma City bombings, DC sniper, 9-11 and just everyday crimes the police wouldn’t feel obligated to stop anyone that seems out of place. It’s a part of the world we live in. We should be thankful that there are individuals who still want to play that role in our society and actually give a damn!

Now by all means had he violated you in anyway or your rights then yes take a stand and make it known that it is unacceptable. I just don’t think that was the case this time around.

By: catherinef3

catherinef3 — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:47:54 +0000

I had no idea you have a blog.

By: Matthew Freeman

Matthew Freeman — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:38:19 +0000

Racial profiling is, of course, almost impossible to prove on an individual basis. You have to look at trends, statistics, etc.

But I can almost guarantee you, based on the experiences of my white and black friends on my street, that I was questioned because I was out of place as a white person in my neighborhood. He didn’t believe me when I said I lived here, he kept pushing.

And I was still dressed from work, with a laptop messenger bag and listening to an ipod. Of course, it was pretty late.

It’s obviously not a big deal at all. It’s not a pattern of discrimination that I face in my life, and they didn’t put me in handcuffs or anything. People face much worse in our society.

I was just disappointed that when faced with the opportunity to challenge the assumptions of an authority figure, I totally failed…

By: RVA Foodie

RVA Foodie — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:33:33 +0000

Police are supposed to “keep the peace.” What will peace eventually look like in Northern Church Hill? In a war against drugs/crime/violence, are people/communities the problem or the solution? I don’t think any cop wants to randomly intimidate and run everybody off until it’s a ghost town (no, they usually have targeted profiles that they want to run off). For all we know, that cop could have been working off of a tip about white junkie with headphones. Maybe your head-bobbing looked like the DTs. That said, when I lived in Barton Heights, I was given this same treatment a couple times too.

By: chris

chris — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:10:13 +0000

Haha, that’ll teach that cop! I know I would chicken out, too.

I’m with Curtis, though, that I’m always happy to see police in my area. Even if they are glaring at me, they are making their presence known. I could be wrong, but it seems rare that police actually patrol rather than only respond to calls. Maybe a lot of the opportunistic burglaries, b&e, etc. in my area could be suppressed if regular but unpredictable police patrols were common.

By: Curtis

Curtis — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:32:58 +0000

Racially profiled or maybe you just looked “suspicious?” I live in a neighborhood where I am definitely in the white minority. I don’t/ wouldn’t mind being questioned in the least bit. I’m relieved they are in my neighborhood, looking out for suspicious behavior. And yes, it might be me.