Sorry to read about your terrible experiences. While I would like to believe that it was an innocent mistake made with the best intentions of the officer, I am also inclined to place the blame on profiling. I wish I could offer some deep explanation on their motives or chalk the instance up to ignorance, but I wont try because I believe neither. It was wrong and I hope that the officers feel the shame of such a shameful action.

My list is smaller, but no less impressive:

Driving in downtown Baltimore to visit wife's family, fail to stop at "stop sign" (must have been one of those invisible ones)and "where are you going?" I must have went to one of those place unusual for white folks.

Yea I got long hair and a rock t-shirt on, it's good to follow me around the store.

Have the audacity to drive aroung Baltimore with Bush sticker on my car and a black woman in the passenger side. Maryland to so democrat it's almost a communist county!

I just keep tellin' myself, "I hate criminals more, I hate criminals more."

I'm also sorry to hear about your parking lot incident. There are times I tell myself that things are getting better, baby step by baby step, but then some bad things happen and racism rears its ugly head (again).

All I can think of is to pray for those who persecute you, yet those seem like empty words when you are judged guilty until proven innocent.

As a young, black, male I've actually never been pulled over by the 'po-pos' (famous last words). However I have been in the car when someone has been pulled over, usually because my older brother really was going 30+ mph over the speed limit.

What I DO know is to always wake up any sleeping passengers when getting pulled over. That can so easily be mistaken as the aftermath of a controlled substance.

My most famous run ins with the police has been at the airport. My lip size-to-melanin ratio must signal 'drug dealer'.

I'm so sorry.
It's a crying shame!
Those cops are morons ;o(
Love,
Donna

Ambra,
Even though I am white, I have had many run ins with racial profiling.

When I was younger I told all my friends that if they were drunk, call me anytime, and I would pick them up and drive them home. I made dozens of these trips, giving rides to both whites and Hispanics. I was never pulled over when I drove white guys home.

However, I was pulled over 6 times for 'drunk driving' (by the way, I do NOT drink, ever). The only times it happened was when I was driving groups of Hispanic friends home. While I was never arrested, (because I easily aced the field soberiety tests), I came realize the cops were angry at me for preventing them from arresting Hispanic guys. Racial profiliing is real, and it is just garbage.

Steven wrote "Maryland is so democrat it's almost a communist country...". Not true. Md. has a Republican governor, and outside of Baltimore, Bush may carry the state. And Dem. Rep. Barbara Mikulski looks to be in a close race.

Ambra,

Sometime soon, when you've got an hour to lay back, you might go to http://www.broadbandc-span.org/ and stream Curtis Sliwa's "Students and Leaders" video. He's the founder of the Guardian Angels speaking to high school students on Long Island. He's a bit like you, funny but blunt and direct. He's also a Christian and a gutsy guy. A little over a decade ago, he survived a Mafia hit that put five bullets in him and hospitalized him for months. He concluded that, Mafia or not, his survival meant God wanted him to keep doing what he was doing.

In the video, a clean cut black guy asks about racial profiling and his response was interesting. The police often don't take kindly to what the Guardian Angels do. He's been arrested (not merely stopped) some 72 times by cops and spent time in jails across the country on trumped up charges.

But he also stresses that cops have it tougher than almost anyone else and in NYC they do it for a mere $32,000 a year--not enough to park a car in the city. Unlike fire fighters, almost no one is friendly when they show up. They take a lot of heat from ill-tempered citizens fussing about their rights. And don't forget that cops get shot making those routine stops you're complaining about. They don't do it because its fun. They do it because if they don't some drunk is going to slam into a school bus. And the sorts of things drunks do in traffic to reveal themselves are also the sorts of crazy things teenage girls with their minds elsewhere also do.

Put in perspective, your four stops in seven years is less hassle than a typical cop has to put up with in a single day. They routinely deal with the sorts of weird, hostile and downright dangerous people that you scurry away from in fright. And then of course, you pull out your cell phone, dial 911, and expect those oft-reviled cops to "do something" about the weirdo.

You might consider using your magazine/press credentials to ride a few nights with Seattle cops and do an article on the experience from a point of view teenagers would understand. It might give you a different perspective.

Bijan -

You are right about western Maryland, but it really should be part of West Virgina, the people have more in common. Repub's always carry it, but most folks live in Baltimore or around D.C.

As for their Republican Governor, you can credit Mr. Steele for that. A lot of black folks voted for him based on his race.

Keep an eye out for him, a very impressive man.

No she did not. Ah be jammed. How the hecky do you get to define when victim hood is actually a valid claim….sister? I guess when you so called conservative black folk finally come out of your cocoon an realize that you are still considered “nizzles for shizzels” by some white folks, you feel that you…and only you black conservatives….can make these claims legitimately. Sorry sister…following your conservative script….you had to in some way have been responsible for your situation. Somewhere in that story you made a CHOICE and that CHOICE…and not your color, is responsible for you being stopped and the attitude of the officers. Police are sworn in and take oaths. They would and could never be subjects of such behavior as you claim. You just need to get off your lazy arse and start making responsible choices….just like those other "leftist" black people who suffer from this victim hood syndrome.

Hey Peeps,

Thanks for the support MarcV, Donna and GMiller in my moment of venting. Don't cry for me Argentina. I'm smart enough to know it's not necessarily the system but more or less "the people of the system". That said, I am still inclined to think that our current system of established law enformcent breeds a general attitude of free-reign abuse of authority and extremely prejudicial decision-making.

Mike: I realize that knee-jerk reaction here is jump to the defense of the poor, over-worked police officers. And trust me, I know a few and they certainly do have a tough job, but it is their job and some of them aren't doing what they're getting paid to do. Unfortunately, I've heard both sides of the story. I've even heard Seattle police officers themselves talk candidly about some of the upside-down and twisted attitudes that take place behind the scenes of the force. And trust me when I say, I have encountered police officers who do pull people over for fun. Let's not get it twisted. There are wicked cops as much as there are wicked politicians, doctors and teachers. And even with close family friends who are high-ranking officers, it is becoming increasingly difficult to highly esteem so many who esteem themselves higher than they ought.

I merely named four experiences. There have been plenty of the like in my short stint on earth. The very circumstances that you named (high stress, etc.) are the exact reason why I think our legal enforcement structure breeds the type of environment where police officers make poor decisions. I'm sorry but there is no excuse or reason for why I was pulled over last night. I wasn't even driving; I was PARKED. In a routine traffic stop, you do not need two police vehicles. Nothing about my vehicle or disposition cried "armed citizen, you need back-up". I was cordial and polite. He was not. You do not ask for the passenger's identification. That's not even protocal. There were 5+ series of events the officers went through from running plates, registration, identification and asking us personal questions to attempt to dig up dirt on us and catch us in a "lie". Better believe badge numbers will be found, and a complaint will be filed. There is ZERO excuse for this type of nonsense. These people play too many games when there is real crime taking place right under their noses. No innocent, tax-paying, crime-free resident of Seattle, Washington deserves to be treated like a second-class citizen. No one.

Ambra, Ambra, Ambra-
Absolutely there are some cops who do still racially profile people. Sometimes with good reason, sometimes just out of plain old fashioned racism. Mike made an excellent suggestion about you going on a ride along with the police. I promise you will have a whole new perspective if you do. My best friend never hated cops, but was always suspicious that they were just a bunch of brutes who liked to harass people for no good reason most of the time. She got a chance to go through one day's training at the Police Academy that was held just for media types. They did mock traffic stops, went on domestic calls, etc...with real police officers acting as the offenders. She's still apologizing to me 10 years later.
You see a situation as just you and a friend innocently sitting in a car chatting. You have no idea what else may be going on. Someone may have been robbed or raped in that same parking lot the night before and used a car similar to yours. The majority of the time when we confront people in a situation like that, it's because someone has called and reported a suspicious vehicle with occupants. So much more goes on in a city at any given time than the average citizen will ever know in their lifetime.
Police Officers are not psychic. When someone does call and say there's 2 suspicious people that have been sitting in a car for the last 2 hours or whatever, exactly how are they supposed to know that it's just you and your girlfriend discussing the bible? They don't know you and they cannot look at you and say Oh, that's just Ambra, she's alright. Trust me, I have had women who had that sweet innocent look fight me harder than a man. Because you know you're a nice, bible reading, law abiding citizen, don't think an officer should assume that. We have families that we want to go home to and unfortunately many of us have not, sometimes from making incorrect assumptions based on how someone "looked".
I stopped a young lady for running a red light which had been red for a good 10 seconds already. When I told her she was getting a ticket, she called me everything but a child of God, ending with "I see why you all get shot". For a traffic ticket!!! And that's one of the milder stories.
There are books made to look like bibles that have the insides cut out to hold guns and/or drugs. So because you're sitting there holding a bible, that means nothing in terms of your trustworthiness. Many, many crimes have been averted because an officer made a traffic stop or a street stop and ended up finding buglary tools, or rape kits, or guns, etc... and the person was eventually identified as the offender who broke into someone's garage, or pulled some lady into the alley the night before or shot someone's child in drive-by. Some of the worst criminals don't "look" like criminals. Chances are you might have been spared some horrible crime happening to you because an officer scooped up an offender before they had a chance to pick another victim. Just because the reason is not apparent to you, doesn't mean there isn't one.
You think going 6 miles an hour over the speed limit is no big deal, and to be honest I would never stop someone for that, but traffic laws are there for a reason. That might have been just fast enough to put you at the next intersecton the exact moment that 18 wheeler decided to blow the red light and broadside you. The comment about you not having the money to pay the ticket was out of line to be sure, but if you were breaking the law, don't hate because you got caught. Think about all the other times when you speed, or run lights or stop signs and don't get caught. Every time you do that, you're taking a chance on getting stopped and the majority of the time you get away with it, but sometimes you don't. The law of averages you know.
Some police are idiots to be sure, but the vast majority are just regular people who want to do our 8 hours and get back home in one piece. We don't have anything against you personally, because we don't even know you.

Seal-lover, Seal-lover, Seal-lover I respect you, but clearly based on your own personal bias and vested interested in the public perception of law enforcement officials, you've jumped to a lot of conclusions in your response.

1) I highly-respect the office of the police officer. Never said I didn't. The rant was addressed to a certain type of police officer. Apparently, one I've been acquainted with a little too frequently.

2) I never said I had a Bible. I said we were discussing the Bible. (It can be done without an actual Bible present). My friend was a resident and since when is sitting in the parking lot of your own apartment complex where all the people who live there know you suspicious? We'd watched the same police officer circle the lot multiple times on multiple days. Trust me, he was bored.

3) Per last night. Investigating a "suspicious car" they were not. They drove by us once and then backed up to check us out on afterthought. Nothing in the conversation had anything to do with suspicions.

4) It's not the 6 miles over the speed limit that's the issue. I didn't even get a ticket and if I had, I would have contested it and had it dismissed on the grounds that I was moving at the flow of traffic. This isn't about hating on being caught. The issue was at what point is a police officer ever instructed to tell someone, "I'll bet you don't even have enough money to PAY a speeding ticket"? Sorry, that's unacceptable behavior.

5)All the scenarios (robbed, raped, etc. are completely baloney in last night's instance). We know the area quite well. The cops were joy-riding and bored. The fact that they missed like 7 drug dealers walking across the street while they pridefully attempted to make a nonexistent point is proof that they weren't out to fight crime. Sorry, I'm not buying it.

NoahTA: First off, even cussing with letters removed isn't tolerated here. Please don't do it again. Secondly, your attempts to draw some sort of conservative inconsistencies here are futile. You can seek to lump me into your idea of what a "Conservative" is, but what "conservative script" of mine are you referring to? Find me a place on this website where I ever suggested that there was no such thing as victimhood and that all black people are lazy and need to get off their butt? Good luck, because you won't find it. Perhaps your argument could be made to the textbook Conservative, but that I am not.

my list:
1. In a white neighborhood I was stopped for no reason and badgered for 30 minutes about a frozen turkey in the front seat of my truck. I bought it for thanksgiving but I was only 17. I guess 17 year old kids don't buy many turkeys.

2. At a local grocery store the clerk at the check out counter said to me as I was paying for a magazine. "If you just put it back I won't tell." -- I was confused, "You mean this magazine? tell on what?" "if you put back the other magazine and gum you have in your jacket." --- "well well" I said "looks like you better call the cops if I'm shoplifting. Cops were called. I was released. I had stolen nothing. It never even crossed my mind.

3. With two other high school friends, while returning from a movie and pulling into a gas station, our car was surrounded by cop cars. guns were drawn, we were forced to the ground, our car was searched, we were briefly handcuffed and then released with no apologies or explanations. Mistaken identity was the assumption. We had done nothing.

4. While riding a vintage 1961 honda motorcycle I was pulled over by a young rookie for not having turn signals (although I used my arm to signal my turn as always). I explained to him that he was mistaken and that the law does not require turn signals if the motorcycle was originally made without them, arm signals are the law in those cases. He then asked to see my drivers license, registration and insurance. To which I responded "Actually the fourth amendment allows for me to refuse that request as you have no probable cause." He wrote me a ticket and threatened jail. When I fought the ticket before a judge, The judge asked "Well did you have the proper insurance, liscense and registration?" To which I responded "with all due respect your honor, the fourth amendment allows for me to refuse to answer that as you have no probable cause." I was congratulated on my knowledge of the constitution and charges were dropped. Later, the same cop harrased me at a party.

That's enough for now -- there are at least five others of similar circumstance. In every case, the cops were wrong.

Did I mention that I'm a freckled white guy?

Cops are human beings with hopes and fears. It's a cruddy job, it doesn't pay well and intelligence is not encouraged to get the gig. We get what we pay for. We can't just tell someone not to be afraid. We need to strive to eliminate the conditions in which fear is helpful. If we want to acheive a society where fears are equally distributed, we must acheive a society where violent crime, education and goodwill are equally distributed.

Blaming cops is ignoring human behavior and putting the cart before the horse. We need to work within the constructs of predictable human behavior.

I have read your blog so I know that you already know all this. Don't lose focus.

I like your blog.

Agreed Merkeley, there appears to be a certain loss of focus here.

It is all well and good to bash the police but somehow I don't hear black criminals being attacked with the same vigor by assorted commentaors or "leaders" like Al Sharpton who all too often mumble pious boilerplate. The real problem is that the black population is simply overrepresented among those committing crime. Like it or not, police have to racially profile if they are to get a handle on the problem. When 90% of the drug dealers in an area are young and black who should police pull over or roust, elderly black men?

It is really naive to talk about racial profiling when the hard reality on the street mandates exactly that. Despite making up less than 13% of the population blacks are overrepresented in all the major crimes. To give one example, over 40% of the rapes in the US are committed by black men who are less than 6% of the population. And let us not get into robbery or murder rates. Too often we hear naive and indignant denunciations of "profiling" that seem totally ignorant as to what is actually happening on the streets.

If the police were to abandon profiling they would abandon a good deal of crime-fighting work, hard as this is to swallow. The harsh fact is that a young black man is in much better shape confronting a police officer- where at least he has some rights, and can seek legal redress for abuses, versus his chances at the hands of the "brothers" that continue to rob and murder their colleagues at alarming rates. Black criminals are not interested in the victim's "rights" nor will Johnny Cochran, or Sharpton appear to help the black mother of yet another gunshot victim,they way they do when there is some incident involving a white cop

I know this sounds "racist" but the solution to the profiling "problem" is for the black community to crack down fiercely on lawless elements. It can do that in a number of ways, from working closely with the police, to "Guardian Angel" style patrols (like the Muslims successfully do), to fostering stable, 2-parent families that discourage crime and promote respect for the law. However the main dynamic too often is a lot of energy spent condeming the police, rather than a merciless fury at the criminal parasites that are destroying the black community. Hard as it is to grasp for some people, only heavily armed counter forces have the power to control or crush these parasites. That's "where it's at" on the streets. Continualy delegitimizing and undermining police work only makes things worse for the black community.

That is the real problem, but it is amazing how much energy and how many buckets of ink are spilled on "profiling". Pious pronouncements about "profiling" may warm the hearts of the gullible and the naive, but it will do nothing to stop the mayhem on the streets. Only the "blue line" will get the job done, unpopular as this may sound.

Absolutely I have a vested interest in the public perception. Most people dwell only on the negative things they hear about us, so after almost 18 years you have a tendency to get defensive. People usually take their negative experiences and apply them to all police officers.
That is somewhat understandable, especially if they haven't had any other more pleasant encounters, so when I hear situations like yours, I try to explain the possible rationale behind some of the things we do. THe vast majority of the time it is not personal and there is a reason for it.
As said, I agree that he was definitely out of line for the statement about you not being able to pay. If it's the same cop(s) targeting you consistently, then clearly they are of the idiot persuation I spoke of in my last paragraph, and you certainly should file a complaint. Tell them to come to the south side of Chicago. We have plenty for them to do.

I appreciate everyone's attempts to "point at the greater problem", but that is not the intention of this post. It is a rant. A moment of frustration, and a declaration of the types of poppcock that goes down when we think we've "solved" things by making racial profiling a norm. THis was not a "police bash" post. And I see that people, especially "Conservatives" have a tendancy to respond according to the knee-jerk when anybody even slightly hints at the fact that our law enforcement system doesn't always act as the super God protectors and purveyours of Righteousness we all "think" they do.

Harold, I beg to differ that the solution to doing away with "racial profiling" is for the black community to "get it together". That may be a piece to this puzzle, but there's a lot more to it.

I'm not sure how it is elsewhere, but here in Seattle, the police department is completely self-regulating. That means, given the off-chance that they, oh I dunno, step out of their boundaries, a board of their PEERS decides what should be done. They are some of the few people that are essentially protected in their job no matter what they may do.

The police department also has a responsibility in this and anyone who doesn't think they don't needs to come down from the mountaintops.

Police officers need checks and balanaces. They're overworked, stressed, and being fed ideas and stereotypes by the media that simply aren't true. Since woman are more likely to be raped by a white man than a black man, why do most of them get more afraid at night when they see a black man walking down the street? We conservatives can live in our happy little world like this stuff doesn't "affect" us, but we'll be the only ones in that world, left preaching to eachother, if we don't start crushing society's idols.

All of the above often breeds unnecessary paranoia, which leads to unnecessary actions. There are police officers who will admit to this. The job is mentally taxing, so muuch so that it often leads them to make really really really poor decisions. It does public citizens no good to have paranoid, afraid, and powertripping law enforcement. This is a two-way street brother, so let's not be so quick to propose our "pet" solutions.

Just visiting, somewhat post-rant myself, and with nothing useful to add except that if I lived closer, I would definitely go to Baskin-Robbins with you anytime.

;)

Ambra,

It just makes my heart hurt to hear stories like these. I've worked professionally in the field of gangs for about 12 years now, and spent 5 years working for a police department assigned to a metro gang unit.

Some of my biggest heroes are cops, and it's truly disappointing to me that there are still idiots out there in the trenches who dishonor their badge and make the job more dangerous for everyone else who is doing the job the way it demands to be done.

The only thing I can suggest is filing a complaint with your state justice agency (attorney general or state police) and alleging racial harassment on an ongoing basis. Those departments that use self-policing as a strategy are quickly becoming outdated and create a culture of distrust within the minority community.

Being a cop is a position of tremendous responsibility. Yeah, they're underpaid, and yeah, society lumps them into a group and treats them as a whole like assholes for the actions of a few. Nonetheless, we have to demand a higher standard of behavior from those who are officers than we do the general populace, a demand that is inherent in doing the job.

I would suggest, however, that departments vary widely...LAPD has a reputation, for example, that the LA Sheriff's Office has largely avoided. So, while it's hard, I hope you won't judge all law enforcement professionals by the apparent lack of professional standards in a particular department.

In many metro counties, there can be as many as 10-40 police agencies all operating autonomously. Standards vary widely based upon the leadership in each individual department, and the political clout of the political leaders.

If all else fails, bear in mind that the Police Chief works for the city/county official. If complaints directly to the department don't have an impact, go over the department to the person who appoints the chief, and voice your complaints in a sane and reasonable manner (rant mode off). Or, address them to a city/county councilperson or commissioner.

You may find you get more response.

Additionally, Harold is completely off the mark when he discusses crimes and racial representation. Have you ever even LOOKED for regular CDC (Center for Disease Control) reports on drug use in the White community. When I came upon these statistics, and could find only other reporting to confirm them, I quickly came to the conclusion that the great majority of Whites are in DENIAL about their drug problems, and generally react by projecting their problems onto Blacks. While Blacks use drugs at a rate proportional the to population (I think only Asian ethnic groups do significantly less drugs than anyone else), Blacks some how end up making up 75% of drug arrests, and much higher in some states, when we should come in at round 10-13% if all drug crimes were pursued w/o regard to race. Do a little more research. You obviously got that rape number from some where, so you tend to like stats a lot. Since we know that mere possession of controlled substances is a crime, we can assume that anyone who uses illegal drugs has committed a crime. Tell us Harold, how much crime to Whites commit?

Ambra, I'm really sorry that you have often been unfairly targeted as a "suspect" by law enforcement officers. I wish I could say that I know how you feel... but I don't. It truly is disgusting and ridiculous that this sort of stuff ever occurs... especially in today's world! It would be nice if all people could switch races for a week to see what it is like... because I truly believe that the majority of white people simply don't have a clue. I am white and my heart breaks at this sort of injustice. I wish we could just make it all go away but that is unlikely without some sort of divine intervention. People are stupid... that's the only explanation I have. But God knows your heart and He knows what kind of person you are... God would never judge you for such illegitimate reasons. Thank goodness we have Him to fall back on... because He's the only true way you can get through this life without pulling your hair out. Won't it be awesome when we get to experience heaven where there is no such thing as discrimination? I'm longing for those days...

God bless you! :) Keep your head high and don't let stupid people get you down. You know what kind of person you are. It is THEIR loss for pre-judging you and for not taking the time to find out what kind of wonderful person you are.

Take care...
Janna

I have always maintained that police should document every contact, and that those stops that do not result in a citation or that rely on broken lens or some sort would indicate the need of redirection.
I have always said that, if I were smuggling drugs, I would have the most gorgeous bro I could find driving the most outrageous pimpmobile run interference for a 60 year old white woman in a Saturn.

Of course white people consume most of the drugs in this country, we're the majority of the population. However, how many little white kids have been struck down in crossfires between gangbangers? No, it's always the little black girl, playing, bothering nobody.

As a conservative, I always have to fight my natural tendancy to stand up to jerk cops. They are government employees after all; They work for me.

I always thought that it would be better to have the mayor responsible for the police department. Sort of like a commander-in-chief role. That way, when these stupid profilers get out of hand, it would be a little easier to redress our grievances. Politicians hate controversy.

Do you look like a criminal? Well, I guess that would depend on whom you ask but I am curious as to why you think you don’t look like a criminal? What does a criminal look like to you?

\Mum"bo Jum"bo\, n. [Perh. fr. the native name of an African god.]
Among the Mandingos of the western Sudan, a bugbear by means
of which the women are terrified and disciplined by societies
of the men, one of whom assumes a masquerade for the purpose;
hence, loosely, any Negro idol, fetish, or bugaboo.

Interesting choice of words…I suppose you and many of your readers discount everyday racism as more “Negro foolishness” when it comes to “low-class” blacks.

My, how huffy you are at being inconvenienced- oh the righteous indignation! Now, imagine your brother got shot (God forbid) reaching for his wallet …your last concern would be “wasted tax dollars”- which is more of an pre-tribulation Pauline perspective than that of Jesus and the disenfranchised.

Amanda: Yep, my choice of words were intentional. A deity, a false God? You betcha. Idolatry in all forms is worth casting down (see Halloween post).

As for the rest of your comment, clearly you haven't been reading this site. Let me know when you do and have a better understanding of my stance on issues and then perhaps I'll entertain your false assertion.

Ah,
Steven jumps from drug crime to violent crime. We live in a country where the mere possession of a substance on the street by a Black man nets long draconian sentences (often MUCH longer than any rape/battery/homocide he could have committed) when if you hold the same substance at a private college, you're, like, cool. If we are in fact talking about violent crimes, then lets talk about that. Conflating violent crimes with non-violent instances that we incarcerate people for is another form of White DENIAL of the fact that their kids are doing too much binge drinking, doing cocaine, and in all reality need some rehab. I am in law school, and if you want to find a drug epidemic, come around my campus, or any campus for that matter. The letter of the law doesn't say that you have to shoot kids to be subject to a drug bust.

Chrissy - There are stiffer penalties for crack than regular cocain because crack sellers and users are a more violent crowd. Preppie, rich, whiney, liberal white guys, for all their faults, rarely pull out glocks down at the club and blow away their rivals.

Drugs are not "cool" anywhere, but I support decriminalization. The government has more important things to worry about, like stopping Islamofacists from blowing us up.

I saw a report recently that a good number of the people in prison for non-violent drug posession are there because of plea-bargins. They were caught doing other things, but lessened their sentence by going for the lesser charge.

These issues are hard enough, race-baiting will get us nowhere. Too many innocent black men have suffered injustice in this country, please to not wrap their memories up along with criminals.

If you will excuse me now, I have to take my kids rehab. (No, just kidding!)

Ambra:

I will always remember when I was a little girl we were driving through a small town in our station wagon with a homemade trailer connected to the back filled with our camping gear. (We didn't have a lot but we went on family vacations, camping at national parks across the U.S.) In the middle of the day, a sheriff of this small town pulls us over because we were not going 10 miles under the posted speed limit (due to our trailer). It was an honest mistake, but the law is the law. Anyway, my dad signed his name in the wrong place on the ticket. With four little girls in the back, this sheriff yanks my dad out of the car and spread eagles him against the side window for his daughters to see. My dad did not make eye contact and was very polite to the sheriff throughout this ordeal. Finally, the sheriff let us go, but my dad didn't say a word in front of us about what happened. He just said "always be non-confrontational around an officer.

Since then, I have had a light shown in my car window three times for just sitting and talking with my friends; I have been pulled over once because the officer was convinced I must be drunk,(with a bunch of teenagers in the back) giving me a bogus ticket for "friction under the tires" (because I wasn't drunk and he was mad he made a bad call); and I was stopped five times (and given three tickets, all of which were later exonerated) for driving in a upper middle class neighborhood while driving a beat up 69' valiant (the only car I could afford) after 12pm. (my car was definitely profiled).

In some cases the officers were polite when they realized they made a mistake, in some cases they became bigger jerks (like the sheriff). I have learned that an officer who is a jerk is just that --- a jerk. Therefore, this jerk will use race to stop some people, an old car to stop others, use a clerical mistake to treat you like a criminal, treat a parked car with two people talking as a suspicious situation (although some of the previous posts make me question my initial analysis of this situation), and assume you are drunk because you are the wrong age/race/gender just because they can (and they are jerks).

My guess is the 'jerks' use racial profiling (or any other negligable reason ) as an excuse to harass whoever they want. The regular cops probably use profiling only when a crime has been committed and the individual (or individuals) fit the profile (or their car fits the profile, etc.). Now, the next question is --- do some departments hire more jerks than others? (I can't imagine the sheriff in my first example hiring anyone who wasn't just like him, so----.)

I always enjoy your rants!

PDN

I am sorry for your experiences Ambra.

Harold's comments above illustrate why I shall probably never vote Republican.

I realize not everyone thinks like that, but why take any chances on supporting this kind of agenda?

Today..Oct. 31..I referred my mostly middle-class, middle-aged, white readers to your blog and especially to this post. But whenever I give a trackback it takes me to a mumblygook error page. Help! (hitting head against screen and pulling my hair out). What am I doing wrong?

Is it because I have the misfortune to be on blogspot?

I did the scgi-bin398 one, not the archives/000398 one.

I have to say that unless you have been a victim of it, you will never understand the extra hostility that is present in some "routine" police incidents. Whether you are black or white, you can be targeted and suffer the ill effects of abuse of power. Police are people, and as such they are subject to the same moodiness as the average person. The uniform and badge does not stop them from being people. They get bored on the job, some of them are bullies, some evil at heart, and some are blatant racists. These are facts. Yes, the job is difficult. Yes, Popo's face criminals and unsavory elements on a daily basis. They are, however, held to higher standards than civilians while on the job. This includes higher standards of courtesy, consideration, and compassion. Let's not forget that they are here to serve as well as protect. Whose interests are being served while cops are harassing innocent people?