What bothers me most about the controversy surrounding the racial profiling/traffic stop hysteria is that we seem to have forgotten about another troubling traffic stop not too long ago, this time involving Officer Dozier, and the two individuals he forced to strip, and then urinate at the side of the road.
I don't recall hearing the Mayor speak out about that incident, nor do I recall the police chief going to the couple's home to stroke the fire that has now erupted between races in Chicago, again. In fact, I don't remember anyone talking about race at all in the other incident. To this date, I am unaware if that trooper or the couple were white, black, Hispanic, Arab or Asian.
I would be more apt to pay heed to this if I hadn't heard the Reverend's account of the incident on a local evening newscast, in which he, over and over stated that he was the Reverend Meeks, and also a state senator. Both are roles that he should truly be proud of, and are of course roles that tend to influence public opinion and public relations, but neither should give the auspice of preferential treatment to the individual in those roles, or the people surrounding them.
If politicians and celebrities (and lately the two seem to be synonymous) weren't so quick to assume that a) everyone knows who they are and b) presume that anyone cares, perhaps this issue would just be another crime against every day civilians, just like the couple who were truly humiliated and violated, above.
And did I also mention that officer who made the couple strip also was accused of doing that to another couple a week prior? If we really want to talk about misconduct, the starting point shouldn't be about race, it should be about the officers who violate whatever standards are in place to protect civilians. Continually bringing up the issue of race, or political stature, merely muddy the waters and allow the true issue, which is police misconduct, to get away.
I don't recall hearing the Mayor speak out about that incident, nor do I recall the police chief going to the couple's home to stroke the fire that has now erupted between races in Chicago, again. In fact, I don't remember anyone talking about race at all in the other incident. To this date, I am unaware if that trooper or the couple were white, black, Hispanic, Arab or Asian.
I would be more apt to pay heed to this if I hadn't heard the Reverend's account of the incident on a local evening newscast, in which he, over and over stated that he was the Reverend Meeks, and also a state senator. Both are roles that he should truly be proud of, and are of course roles that tend to influence public opinion and public relations, but neither should give the auspice of preferential treatment to the individual in those roles, or the people surrounding them.
If politicians and celebrities (and lately the two seem to be synonymous) weren't so quick to assume that a) everyone knows who they are and b) presume that anyone cares, perhaps this issue would just be another crime against every day civilians, just like the couple who were truly humiliated and violated, above.
And did I also mention that officer who made the couple strip also was accused of doing that to another couple a week prior? If we really want to talk about misconduct, the starting point shouldn't be about race, it should be about the officers who violate whatever standards are in place to protect civilians. Continually bringing up the issue of race, or political stature, merely muddy the waters and allow the true issue, which is police misconduct, to get away.