Walking while black

[Anonymous]

Hats off for an intelligent and respectful response - I agree with just about everything you said. Still, I can't help but sigh in frustration when people insist on demanding facts and data for an issue that goes much deeper than what statistics can show. The notion that authorities treat non-white people differently isn't merely a matter of analyzing how many people are arrested in relation to their percentage of the population. For instance, the New York Times article that initiated this discussion - Library Visit, Then Held at Gunpoint - no one was shot or arrested so there's no data to collect, but as the article tried to articulate..."What if?" What if that kids dad wasn't a New York Times columnist? What if he was just another black kid? Would we even have heard this story? Would we have even cared? If such a situation can arise on a college campus how unlikely is it that in predominately black communities patrolled by on a daily basis by equally "cautious" cops that kids are getting guns pointed at them with regularity and then told to go on about their business without anyone shot or arrested - encounters that don't show up in statistics. But does that make those confrontations negligible? And the bigger question...what if?

Just curious: What should the policeman have done?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Hats off for an intelligent and respectful response - I agree with just about everything you said. Still, I can't help but sigh in frustration when people insist on demanding facts and data for an issue that goes much deeper than what statistics can show. The notion that authorities treat non-white people differently isn't merely a matter of analyzing how many people are arrested in relation to their percentage of the population. For instance, the New York Times article that initiated this discussion - Library Visit, Then Held at Gunpoint - no one was shot or arrested so there's no data to collect, but as the article tried to articulate..."What if?" What if that kids dad wasn't a New York Times columnist? What if he was just another black kid? Would we even have heard this story? Would we have even cared? If such a situation can arise on a college campus how unlikely is it that in predominately black communities patrolled by on a daily basis by equally "cautious" cops that kids are getting guns pointed at them with regularity and then told to go on about their business without anyone shot or arrested - encounters that don't show up in statistics. But does that make those confrontations negligible? And the bigger question...what if?

Just curious: What should the policeman have done?

Well, despite what folks would have you believe, there are ways to detain a person without pulling your firearm. Trust me, police are trained on a number of them.

Signed,

Wife of a LEO and the parent of a 16yo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Hats off for an intelligent and respectful response - I agree with just about everything you said. Still, I can't help but sigh in frustration when people insist on demanding facts and data for an issue that goes much deeper than what statistics can show. The notion that authorities treat non-white people differently isn't merely a matter of analyzing how many people are arrested in relation to their percentage of the population. For instance, the New York Times article that initiated this discussion - Library Visit, Then Held at Gunpoint - no one was shot or arrested so there's no data to collect, but as the article tried to articulate..."What if?" What if that kids dad wasn't a New York Times columnist? What if he was just another black kid? Would we even have heard this story? Would we have even cared? If such a situation can arise on a college campus how unlikely is it that in predominately black communities patrolled by on a daily basis by equally "cautious" cops that kids are getting guns pointed at them with regularity and then told to go on about their business without anyone shot or arrested - encounters that don't show up in statistics. But does that make those confrontations negligible? And the bigger question...what if?

Just curious: What should the policeman have done?

That's a great question and I honestly can't say. On the one the campus officer was investigating a crime and in search for a suspect and he did come across someone who fit the description of the suspect and acted accordingly - so there's that. On the other hand where is the consideration for the everyday citizen? Where is the accounting for potential error in his judgement that maybe this isn't the guy, that maybe It could be a law-abiding citizen minding his own business? Taking that probability into consideration is pulling a gun really the right course of action? Could pulling a gun potentially provoke the situation and put that citizen in danger? It's a quite a dilemma without question but considering officers are assigned with the responsibility of protecting and serving the people and considering most people regardless of race are not criminals much less dangerous criminals, I woulld think the side of caution to err on is that of restraint to avoid endangering the very people he is sworn to protect and serve. Stop...yes. Question...sure. Pull a gun and for all intents and purposes terrorize innocent civilians who's only crime is fitting the description...I can't get with that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The story about the black Yale student is a simple case of mistaken identity. This is not "walking while black". Please don't even try to say that it is, because the "walking while black" is a real problem for other non-Yale students. Trying to equate this lame story with "walking while black" trivializes the entire issue, and creates a strawman that deniers can easily knock over.

To the PP who said his white son was stopped similarly for playing "hide and seek", I have a question. Was your son on someone else's property?

+1. That NYT column was a joke. The same thing happens to people of all races (and I know because it happened to me, and I am not black). The real root of the problem no one talks about is, why do statistics show that blacks are as a group, much more likely to commit violent crimes? Half of all murders in the US are committed by blacks, which account for only 10% of the population.

Let's solve that first.

Most black people are not murderers. Let's remember that first.

+1

The quality of the discourse on this board makes me sad. One guy makes a red herring comment and another one gives it a +1.

It's not a red herring to point out that statistically profiling is an incredibly dangerous thing. 99.9999% of AA's are not murderers. That's a fact. So should that 99.9999% give up their civil liberties because some tiny segment of the black population committed crimes? Hell no.

It's a red herring because this data, even if true, is irrelevant to the fact that blacks have a far higher rate of crime than other racial groups. You can have a productive discussion about the possible causes of this phenomenon but it helps no one to divert discussion away from it by throwing out unrelated statistics.

Statistically profiling? Wow. That's rather redundant, don't you think? Statistics *IS* profiling. Or are you just tacking on "profiling" to make it sound awful?

It's also highly ironic that you would call statistics incredibly dangerous, then follow in the next breath to throw out a statistic that is artificial and demonstrably incorrect, and explicitly claim it as fact. Take a look at this:

http://blackdemographics.com/culture/crime/

The statistics show 84,000 blacks in prison for murder, from a population of 45 million, makes for 0.187%. Meaning 99.813% of AA's are not murderers. I get your point, but your reckless use of data doesn't help make your case. It just reveals you to be disingenuous and ignorant.

Well said.

And, to build on the analysis of real data, what is it about black males aged 16 to 24 that makes them so disproportionally likely to commit a murder?

Because THAT is the root of the problem, and helps contextualize incidents such as the one that opened this thread.

[Anonymous]

I once a had a Stats prof in college who had an interesting philosophy about statistical analysis and social policy.

He used to say the stats are numbers and trends. They do not take into account the human condition and individual circumstances. Thus, while stats can be used to measure the impact of an issue on society, they cannot be used to adequately measure the impact on individual members of society. IMO, this is a prime example.

Sure, we can say that more of a certain race are arrested in relation to their % of the population. I am sure some people would feel that those types of stats justify detaining them (although the whole racial profiling debate is casting a shadow over it). However, while the stats are arguably useful on some level, it is not a comfort to the individual who was unjustifiably detained or had a gun drawn on them. "Sorry Johnny, but purple guys are more likely to commit crimes. That is why we pulled our guns on you with no evidence that you did anything wrong other than you being in the vicinity when a crime was comitted. Our bad."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The story about the black Yale student is a simple case of mistaken identity. This is not "walking while black". Please don't even try to say that it is, because the "walking while black" is a real problem for other non-Yale students. Trying to equate this lame story with "walking while black" trivializes the entire issue, and creates a strawman that deniers can easily knock over.

To the PP who said his white son was stopped similarly for playing "hide and seek", I have a question. Was your son on someone else's property?

+1. That NYT column was a joke. The same thing happens to people of all races (and I know because it happened to me, and I am not black). The real root of the problem no one talks about is, why do statistics show that blacks are as a group, much more likely to commit violent crimes? Half of all murders in the US are committed by blacks, which account for only 10% of the population.

Let's solve that first.

Most black people are not murderers. Let's remember that first.

+1

The quality of the discourse on this board makes me sad. One guy makes a red herring comment and another one gives it a +1.

It's not a red herring to point out that statistically profiling is an incredibly dangerous thing. 99.9999% of AA's are not murderers. That's a fact. So should that 99.9999% give up their civil liberties because some tiny segment of the black population committed crimes? Hell no.

It's a red herring because this data, even if true, is irrelevant to the fact that blacks have a far higher rate of crime than other racial groups. You can have a productive discussion about the possible causes of this phenomenon but it helps no one to divert discussion away from it by throwing out unrelated statistics.

Statistically profiling? Wow. That's rather redundant, don't you think? Statistics *IS* profiling. Or are you just tacking on "profiling" to make it sound awful?

It's also highly ironic that you would call statistics incredibly dangerous, then follow in the next breath to throw out a statistic that is artificial and demonstrably incorrect, and explicitly claim it as fact. Take a look at this:

http://blackdemographics.com/culture/crime/

The statistics show 84,000 blacks in prison for murder, from a population of 45 million, makes for 0.187%. Meaning 99.813% of AA's are not murderers. I get your point, but your reckless use of data doesn't help make your case. It just reveals you to be disingenuous and ignorant.

Well said.

And, to build on the analysis of real data, what is it about black males aged 16 to 24 that makes them so disproportionally likely to commit a murder?

Because THAT is the root of the problem, and helps contextualize incidents such as the one that opened this thread.

But...in this case the police were not responding to a murder.

Also, this is a piss poor analysis of the data in the first place. Very rudimentary and self-serving. Besides the raw numbers, what does that data tell you? Is the number trending up or down? What is the geopgraphical distribution of those numbers? Hell, what are the crime stats for New Haven? FWIW, I think that stats are helpful. But they are not the alpha and omega of the discussion and it is dangerous to rely on them. Numbers can be packaged and presented in any number of ways to get to a final outcome. Trust me...I used to do it.

We get it...you and the PP are proponents of racial profiling based on stats as a law enforcement tool. Unfortunately the uptick in unlawful arrest lawsuits and the increase in police excessive force investigations are stats that tell you it might not be as effective as you think.

[Anonymous]

It looks like this discussion is actually getting back to being productive so let's continue further by looking at another incident of "Walking While Black."

Video shows Seattle cop arresting elderly black man using golf club as cane
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/01/29/video-shows-seattle-police-officer-arresting-an-elderly-black-man-carrying-a-golf-club/

This particular incident isn't a simple case of mistaken identity when a crime has been committed. This incident is, as a PP described, an example of a rogue police officer violating their systemic training. What impact do incidents such as this have on public opinion of law enforcement and the existence of racial discrimination toward non-whites and what is the significance of public opinion versus data and statistics when it comes to issues of racial discrimination?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It looks like this discussion is actually getting back to being productive so let's continue further by looking at another incident of "Walking While Black."

Video shows Seattle cop arresting elderly black man using golf club as cane
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/01/29/video-shows-seattle-police-officer-arresting-an-elderly-black-man-carrying-a-golf-club/

This particular incident isn't a simple case of mistaken identity when a crime has been committed. This incident is, as a PP described, an example of a rogue police officer violating their systemic training. What impact do incidents such as this have on public opinion of law enforcement and the existence of racial discrimination toward non-whites and what is the significance of public opinion versus data and statistics when it comes to issues of racial discrimination?

Good example. And before bend over backwards trying to defend the officer, the SPD has already apologized. The officer is also being investigated for some Facebook posts that were not too smart.

But I think the context of this incident is also very important in this discussion. SPD was cited by the Justice Department for being “engaged in a pattern or practice of excessive force” and some policies and practices, especially “related to pedestrian encounters, could result in discriminatory policing.” Sounds like "walking while a minority" to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It looks like this discussion is actually getting back to being productive so let's continue further by looking at another incident of "Walking While Black."

Video shows Seattle cop arresting elderly black man using golf club as cane
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/01/29/video-shows-seattle-police-officer-arresting-an-elderly-black-man-carrying-a-golf-club/

This particular incident isn't a simple case of mistaken identity when a crime has been committed. This incident is, as a PP described, an example of a rogue police officer violating their systemic training. What impact do incidents such as this have on public opinion of law enforcement and the existence of racial discrimination toward non-whites and what is the significance of public opinion versus data and statistics when it comes to issues of racial discrimination?

I just read the article and watched the video. I'm not sure why you're making this out as a racial incident. What I saw in the video is a police officer who says on camera that the guy swung a golf club at her when she turned the corner at some point earlier. She seemed polite and respectful as she asked him to put down the golf club before she approached him, and actually seemed slightly flummoxed about his refusal to put the club down. When she ultimately approached him and detained him, she seemed pretty gentle about the whole thing. He seemed a bit addled, which perhaps led to him refusing the police officer's instructions and generally defying her. We don't have video here of the earlier event, so cannot tell what happened there. But unless the police officer was just making up the earlier event as a pretext to harass this guy, I don't see any problem with how she conducted herself here.

Now to be clear, the article refers to some Facebook posts where the officer complained about people turning situations into racial issues. I can understand the officer being frustrated, but she should have the common sense not to post such complaints on Facebook. If that's what caused her to get reprimanded, I can understand. But I'm not sure why she'd be reprimanded for how she treated the guy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It looks like this discussion is actually getting back to being productive so let's continue further by looking at another incident of "Walking While Black."

Video shows Seattle cop arresting elderly black man using golf club as cane
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/01/29/video-shows-seattle-police-officer-arresting-an-elderly-black-man-carrying-a-golf-club/

This particular incident isn't a simple case of mistaken identity when a crime has been committed. This incident is, as a PP described, an example of a rogue police officer violating their systemic training. What impact do incidents such as this have on public opinion of law enforcement and the existence of racial discrimination toward non-whites and what is the significance of public opinion versus data and statistics when it comes to issues of racial discrimination?

I just read the article and watched the video. I'm not sure why you're making this out as a racial incident. What I saw in the video is a police officer who says on camera that the guy swung a golf club at her when she turned the corner at some point earlier. She seemed polite and respectful as she asked him to put down the golf club before she approached him, and actually seemed slightly flummoxed about his refusal to put the club down. When she ultimately approached him and detained him, she seemed pretty gentle about the whole thing. He seemed a bit addled, which perhaps led to him refusing the police officer's instructions and generally defying her. We don't have video here of the earlier event, so cannot tell what happened there. But unless the police officer was just making up the earlier event as a pretext to harass this guy, I don't see any problem with how she conducted herself here.

Now to be clear, the article refers to some Facebook posts where the officer complained about people turning situations into racial issues. I can understand the officer being frustrated, but she should have the common sense not to post such complaints on Facebook. If that's what caused her to get reprimanded, I can understand. But I'm not sure why she'd be reprimanded for how she treated the guy.

You make a very good point about the possibility of an earlier altercation/confrontation which preceded the recording that coincides with the officer's account that "she had witnessed the man swing a golf club toward her, striking a stop sign as she drove past him." I appreciate you bringing this up because it leads me directly to a question that is of considerable significance - and that is the question of credibility. As you indicated in your response we have no video to substantiate the officer's claim of an earlier event so it's basically the officer's word against the elderly black man's. The elderly black man has no previous criminal history and spent 30 years in the military, attributes that are commonly consistent with a being considered an upstanding citizen. Yet and still, it seems he lacks credibility to you PP. Why?

I'm sure you're not so shallow-minded as to say that simply because he is black his word is worthless. I'm sure you are not so bigoted as to say that because the elderly black man claims he is the victim of racism his testimony is automatically insubstantial. So what then leads you to question the elderly black man's credibility, could it be a mere matter of predilection for the police? No one is perfect, not even the men and women sworn to protect and serve us and we all have inherent biases and prejudices that don't just disappear when a person puts on a uniform and is given a badge. Still, many of us are inclined to accept the word of one person over another simply because of that uniform and that badge and therein lies a very vulnerable aspect of our justice system - a flaw that affords the possibility of all kinds of discriminatory policing. Don't you think some officers are aware of that advantage in credibility and don't you think some officers misuse that unquestioned credibility to their advantage and don't you think one of the areas in which that misuse could be evident is in racial profiling?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

What are college campus police carrying guns for,anyway?

Protection. The cop thought he had found the perpetrator. It is not out of line to anticipate that the suspect might be armed.

Actually in this case it was known at the time that there was no evidence of a weapon during the burglary. Not out of line, but definitely not expected.

One other point. Blow's son was exiting the library. In every college library I have ever visited, you need an ID to get in. So expecting that a perosn exiting the library was a robbery subject either suggested that they were looking for a student, which I am guessing that they didn't think, given the number of black yale students vs. black New Haven residents and their frequency of committing crimes, or it was a bad, overzealous call when the person being stopped kept their hands over their head and obeyed all instructions promptly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

What are college campus police carrying guns for,anyway?

Protection. The cop thought he had found the perpetrator. It is not out of line to anticipate that the suspect might be armed.

Actually in this case it was known at the time that there was no evidence of a weapon during the burglary. Not out of line, but definitely not expected.

One other point. Blow's son was exiting the library. In every college library I have ever visited, you need an ID to get in. So expecting that a perosn exiting the library was a robbery subject either suggested that they were looking for a student, which I am guessing that they didn't think, given the number of black yale students vs. black New Haven residents and their frequency of committing crimes, or it was a bad, overzealous call when the person being stopped kept their hands over their head and obeyed all instructions promptly.

I do think itwas a bad overzealous call. But my experience with a school library in an urban city, where you need ID to get in and out, is that non-students do go in and out of the library, with somewhat alarming frequency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It looks like this discussion is actually getting back to being productive so let's continue further by looking at another incident of "Walking While Black."

Video shows Seattle cop arresting elderly black man using golf club as cane
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/01/29/video-shows-seattle-police-officer-arresting-an-elderly-black-man-carrying-a-golf-club/

This particular incident isn't a simple case of mistaken identity when a crime has been committed. This incident is, as a PP described, an example of a rogue police officer violating their systemic training. What impact do incidents such as this have on public opinion of law enforcement and the existence of racial discrimination toward non-whites and what is the significance of public opinion versus data and statistics when it comes to issues of racial discrimination?

I just read the article and watched the video. I'm not sure why you're making this out as a racial incident. What I saw in the video is a police officer who says on camera that the guy swung a golf club at her when she turned the corner at some point earlier. She seemed polite and respectful as she asked him to put down the golf club before she approached him, and actually seemed slightly flummoxed about his refusal to put the club down. When she ultimately approached him and detained him, she seemed pretty gentle about the whole thing. He seemed a bit addled, which perhaps led to him refusing the police officer's instructions and generally defying her. We don't have video here of the earlier event, so cannot tell what happened there. But unless the police officer was just making up the earlier event as a pretext to harass this guy, I don't see any problem with how she conducted herself here.

Now to be clear, the article refers to some Facebook posts where the officer complained about people turning situations into racial issues. I can understand the officer being frustrated, but she should have the common sense not to post such complaints on Facebook. If that's what caused her to get reprimanded, I can understand. But I'm not sure why she'd be reprimanded for how she treated the guy.

Thank you for taking the time to review the materials and comment here. Indeed, another example where BEHAVIOR seems to be a key factor, not RACE.

Why do so many (of all colors) find this so hard to grasp?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It looks like this discussion is actually getting back to being productive so let's continue further by looking at another incident of "Walking While Black."

Video shows Seattle cop arresting elderly black man using golf club as cane
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/01/29/video-shows-seattle-police-officer-arresting-an-elderly-black-man-carrying-a-golf-club/

This particular incident isn't a simple case of mistaken identity when a crime has been committed. This incident is, as a PP described, an example of a rogue police officer violating their systemic training. What impact do incidents such as this have on public opinion of law enforcement and the existence of racial discrimination toward non-whites and what is the significance of public opinion versus data and statistics when it comes to issues of racial discrimination?

I just read the article and watched the video. I'm not sure why you're making this out as a racial incident. What I saw in the video is a police officer who says on camera that the guy swung a golf club at her when she turned the corner at some point earlier. She seemed polite and respectful as she asked him to put down the golf club before she approached him, and actually seemed slightly flummoxed about his refusal to put the club down. When she ultimately approached him and detained him, she seemed pretty gentle about the whole thing. He seemed a bit addled, which perhaps led to him refusing the police officer's instructions and generally defying her. We don't have video here of the earlier event, so cannot tell what happened there. But unless the police officer was just making up the earlier event as a pretext to harass this guy, I don't see any problem with how she conducted herself here.

Now to be clear, the article refers to some Facebook posts where the officer complained about people turning situations into racial issues. I can understand the officer being frustrated, but she should have the common sense not to post such complaints on Facebook. If that's what caused her to get reprimanded, I can understand. But I'm not sure why she'd be reprimanded for how she treated the guy.

Thank you for taking the time to review the materials and comment here. Indeed, another example where BEHAVIOR seems to be a key factor, not RACE.

Why do so many (of all colors) find this so hard to grasp?

Okay...let's try another angle. Care to review these materials and comment?
Off duty, black cops in New York feel threat from fellow police

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/23/us-usa-police-nypd-race-insight-idUSKBN0K11EV20141223

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It looks like this discussion is actually getting back to being productive so let's continue further by looking at another incident of "Walking While Black."

Video shows Seattle cop arresting elderly black man using golf club as cane
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/01/29/video-shows-seattle-police-officer-arresting-an-elderly-black-man-carrying-a-golf-club/

This particular incident isn't a simple case of mistaken identity when a crime has been committed. This incident is, as a PP described, an example of a rogue police officer violating their systemic training. What impact do incidents such as this have on public opinion of law enforcement and the existence of racial discrimination toward non-whites and what is the significance of public opinion versus data and statistics when it comes to issues of racial discrimination?

I just read the article and watched the video. I'm not sure why you're making this out as a racial incident. What I saw in the video is a police officer who says on camera that the guy swung a golf club at her when she turned the corner at some point earlier. She seemed polite and respectful as she asked him to put down the golf club before she approached him, and actually seemed slightly flummoxed about his refusal to put the club down. When she ultimately approached him and detained him, she seemed pretty gentle about the whole thing. He seemed a bit addled, which perhaps led to him refusing the police officer's instructions and generally defying her. We don't have video here of the earlier event, so cannot tell what happened there. But unless the police officer was just making up the earlier event as a pretext to harass this guy, I don't see any problem with how she conducted herself here.

Now to be clear, the article refers to some Facebook posts where the officer complained about people turning situations into racial issues. I can understand the officer being frustrated, but she should have the common sense not to post such complaints on Facebook. If that's what caused her to get reprimanded, I can understand. But I'm not sure why she'd be reprimanded for how she treated the guy.

You make a very good point about the possibility of an earlier altercation/confrontation which preceded the recording that coincides with the officer's account that "she had witnessed the man swing a golf club toward her, striking a stop sign as she drove past him." I appreciate you bringing this up because it leads me directly to a question that is of considerable significance - and that is the question of credibility. As you indicated in your response we have no video to substantiate the officer's claim of an earlier event so it's basically the officer's word against the elderly black man's. The elderly black man has no previous criminal history and spent 30 years in the military, attributes that are commonly consistent with a being considered an upstanding citizen. Yet and still, it seems he lacks credibility to you PP. Why?

I'm sure you're not so shallow-minded as to say that simply because he is black his word is worthless. I'm sure you are not so bigoted as to say that because the elderly black man claims he is the victim of racism his testimony is automatically insubstantial. So what then leads you to question the elderly black man's credibility, could it be a mere matter of predilection for the police? No one is perfect, not even the men and women sworn to protect and serve us and we all have inherent biases and prejudices that don't just disappear when a person puts on a uniform and is given a badge. Still, many of us are inclined to accept the word of one person over another simply because of that uniform and that badge and therein lies a very vulnerable aspect of our justice system - a flaw that affords the possibility of all kinds of discriminatory policing. Don't you think some officers are aware of that advantage in credibility and don't you think some officers misuse that unquestioned credibility to their advantage and don't you think one of the areas in which that misuse could be evident is in racial profiling?

I've actually got no particular opinion of his his credibility at all. I assume he's just a normal person who lies just as much, or as little, as the rest of us. But his credibility is irrelevant here. I never heard him say, "gosh officer, you must have the wrong guy, because I didn't swing a club at your car!" Instead, he just refused to put down the golf club and complained that it's his. And I don't particularly believe the police officer either, since you may recall I noted the possibility she might be making the whole thing up. I just figure the truth is better sorted out when everyone's calm, and not when one guy is refusing to put down his golf club. Don't you agree?

I'm pretty frustrated though that you'd make all sorts of (inaccurate) assumptions about me and my beliefs -- flirting with calling me a shallow-minded bigot -- based simply on the fact that I don't interpret this situation as an example of racial profiling, despite the complete absence of any evidence for that position.