Originally Posted by redwitch

This will probably put me in a very huge minority here but I'd rather see 10 cars stolen than see one innocent young man stopped because he fit some "profile" of potential car thieves. I went to UCLA in the 60s. Chief Davis was very open that whenever he saw a group of older teens congregating in Los Angeles, he would have his officers break them up because those troublemakers might start portesting. I remember once being slammed against a wall along with four of my friends simply for standing and talking (we were discussing what movie to see). I loathe profiling. I hate the idea that a group of people are subjected to harassment simply because of the color of their skin or their age.

Yes, I understand that statistically more crimes are committed by young people and specifically young, black men than any other group. That doesn't justify harassing them just because someone "might" do or have done something wrong. Stop them if you see them doing something wrong or if they truly fit the description of someone who has committed a crime. Don't do it simply because you THINK they might have done something. There was no reason to slam me into a wall in 1967. There was no reason to pull me over in Orinda, California, in 1983. There was certainly no reason to pull me over on Monday night.

One thing that hurt on Monday was the simple fact that I felt I had the right to be indignant and angry. My friend simply tried to calm me down and had to swallow his anger. Why? Because he was fearful of what could happen to both of us because we were together. (BTW, he was asked for his identification although I had already given the officer my driver's license and vehicle registration.) It was wrong and it was humiliating.

If I'm this angry as a middle-class, middle-aged white woman for these actions by police officers (whom I do respect and admire for the most part), is there any wonder Americans of color are angry and say so behind their closed doors (whether those doors are their homes, their clubs or their churches)? I stand by the fact that Obama said many things in his speech that needed to be said. Who knows? Maybe it will bring people together to discuss these issues one day in the near future. I can but dream.