There has been a story that has been brewing for the last couple of days regarding the possible abuse of police power and racial profiling in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn. For those who may not be familiar with Park Slope, it is a middle to upper middle class section of Brooklyn whose inhabitants are of various racial strata. In this case, there have been a rash of robberies occurring in a nearby train stop, which allegedly prompted a police directive to investigate either all Black males or all Black male teenagers, specifically. After an internal investigation, local police are claiming that this directive was never issued. Now local political/community leaders as well as the media are asking for more definitive answers. Once again, I find myself confused as I often take a contrarian viewpoint when it comes to these matters.
Let me first state for the record, that any indiscriminate racial profiling is not only morally wrong but just bad police work. Where my contrarian nature comes into play deals with my belief that some profiling is necessary and impossible to avoid. When I often come across a radio or tv show that has racial profiling as the topic, the de facto Black or Latin position frequently implies that no profiling tactic should be implemented by authorities. The truth of the matter is specific profiling is a highly effective method in catching criminals. Again the operative word is specific. If one does not want to get harassed then perhaps not wearing the costume of a criminal might help in not being interviewed by the police. I'm not a supporter of current hiphop fashion trends....I fail to see these fashions on the catwalks in Paris or Milan. But again we allegedly live in a free country. My suggestion...try not to fit the stereotype, it works for me. For more on this story check out the links below.
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