Racial profiling has been a long standing problem in Los Angeles, as well as most "urban" areas across the U.S.A., for quite some time. I just love how "they" give racism technical sub-divisions, like how they split up the areas of Disneyland. In short, police monitor/harass specific "types" based solely on appearance, with the bias that said individual is most likely doing wrong because of who/what they are. I don't agree with racial profiling, partly because I'm Black (a favorited target of the profile), but mostly, because I'm not a bigot (well, in most cases, at least).
Los Angeles has a new police chief in Charlie Beck (by his name, he sounds like he should be an alcoholic cartoon character), & his first order of business is to address civil rights leader Earl Ofari Hutchinson's allegations that the LAPD has ignored 8 years worth of complaints regarding the matter. I'm sure other major cities will soon follow suit, granted it has tangible effects towards resolution.
I don't subscribe to any fascist views, but I do, however, live in a city that's quite dangerous depending on location/date/time of day or night, etc. In other words, some parts of L.A. are screwed the eff up (including the well-to-do spots). If you own a television set, you have a general idea of where not to be when the sun leaves the sky. Hell, maybe not even when the sun is up, either. That just gives more people the opportunity to witness something they don't plan on "snitching" about to begin with. Funny thing about that though, is whenever family from other states come to visit, they always want to see Compton, Watts & the Slauson Swapmeet; three places where people I know personally have been shot, shot at, & beaten up severely, respectively.
Like most folks in urbanized environments, I've been the victim of a crime a couple of times myself. Some anonymous, like car burglary, & others, hands-on & personal, like being robbed at gun-point. I've also been privy to seeing quite a few crimes of various natures happening right before my eyes (life in the Big City, am I right?). Not to mention the amount of criminals I happen to be related to. There on my "side", per se, but that's just a matter of happenstance.
Every time I was a part of or witnessed a crime, the person committing the crime looked like me. I've never been held-up by a white boy, asian person, or a gay dude. Well, you can't really tell who's gay nowadays, but, you smell my cologne. My question is, is it racial profiling if all the people in the area happen to be one of two shades of brown? Theoretically speaking, if all the folks in a 10 mile radius are either Black or Hispanic, who the hell else are the police supposed to pull over to meet their monthly quota?
Like most Americans, I don't like domestic terrorism, & a lot of the goings-on in plenty of middle-lower class communities could easily fall under that umbrella. At the same time, I don't need the coppers running around town like The Gestapo in cold world Prussia. It's 2009, & there's only one minority; poor people. & within those environments of poverty, of course the crime rate will be higher. Does that mean that the police are coming down unnecessarily harder on the coloreds of these neighborhoods, or are they earning the income that we, the people, pay them?
I've never been a "Fuck the police" type guy, even when N.W.A. had me singing it on the school bus. I understand that some are good, & some are bad, like any other organization of differing humans. Perhaps Earl will get to the bottom of this before too long, but in the meantime, don't get it twisted.....I won't be riding around Beverly Hills all willy nilly after sunset, either.
I've been bumped up in basically every major metropolitan area of Southern California. Literally, dozens of times I've had to prove my innocence to the business side of a shiny badge. I'm aware that some coppers are misguided man-children who got bullied all through adolescent life, & feel the need to regress when they see a nigga minding his own business. That said, I tread lightly when they're around. At the least, I try not to give them extra reasons for bothering me, such as smoking weed in my car without my seatbelt on doing 75 in a school zone. All jokes aside, a lot of cats take no precaution as to what the poe-poe's job requirements are, then cry foul as their unregistered weapon lands them in the pokey.
That, friends, has nothing to do with the profiling of a race. That's what we call "slipping", & there's not too much of a justifiable agrument against that, especially not in a court of law.
With the race divide transitioning into the rich versus the poor, I'm curious as to where the one time's priorities will shift to. I'm sure they are as well.
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2 comments:
I like this post. I personally dont have a problem with police and cooperate with them when necessary.
What people need to realize is that there is no such thing as a racist, pompous, asshole cop.... merely a racist, pompous, asshole - who happens to have a job as a cop and takes advantage. People are who they are long before they incorporate it into what they do, dig me?
I do understand we need the police. without them it would be chaos. But, in my humble opinion, there are more dickhead Po-lice than good ones. Granted I used to do a little dirt so when they run my name they already think i'm guilty of something. that could be my own fault I guess.
Anyways man, i've been all over, and there is not 1 single person/hood/gang/ that scares me like the Po Po.
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