Here is a story from Canada:

http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/toronto/story.html?id=9056a4a1-52a0-4628-b3bd-a3a26349d01f

Sep.17.2004

TORONTO -- A judge tossed out a cocaine trafficking case against a black motorist, finding that the Toronto police officers used racial profiling when they stopped him.

Kevin Khan was pulled over by two police officers in 2001 because he was a black man driving an expensive car -- a  Mercedes-Benz, the court said.

Justice Anne Molloy found that Khan's constitutional rights against unreasonable search and arbitrary detention had been breached by the officers and thus ruled the drug evidence inadmissible. Khan -- a teacher and property developer -- says he picked up the car from a relative who had it for the weekend. He said he had no idea the cocaine was in the car.

Toronto Police Chief Julian Fantino says he takes the judge's ruling "very seriously.''

"I have directed Professional Standards to investigate and I will take whatever action is appropriate," Fantino said.

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It seems Amnesty International is stepping up to the plate in Oklahoma, in regards to harassment of Native Americans there:

http://www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=5123

Editorial: Racial profiling law needs sharp teeth
Indians harassed in numerous ways

TULSA OK
Louis Gray 9/17/2004

When Amnesty International released its report on the state of Racial Profiling in America, it detailed many abuses and the need for change. Native Americans are not listed because no one is tracking the abuses.

Oklahoma has a racial profiling law, but it is among the weakest versions ever created. That is not the fault of law author State Senator Maxine Horner from Tulsa. Her original bill called for stiff fines for offending peace keepers and record keeping. Law enforcement officials, while assuring us that racial profiling doesn't even exist in their jurisdictions, lobbied state officials to delete any language which forces officers to note which race the arrested person belongs to. They claim the fines would keep good people from joining the force and the record keeping would be too costly and burdensome. Policemen simply can't be troubled to check a box.

Oklahoma has not educated the public on how to file a complaint. Last year in the mandated annual report showed less than 10 people filed complaints and none resulted in prosecution.

At a hearing in Tulsa last September, Amnesty International came to Tulsa and asked local residents to participate and share their stories. Indian people stepped forward and nearly three-dozen witnesses came prepared to tell their stories of racial profiling. They came from all over the state. They were prepared to tell stories of police manning roadblocks stopping every person leaving a pow wow. They staked out roads leading to Green Corn Dances, even searching the vehicles of Mekkos (Native Holy Men) and their families. Officers harassed people based not only on the color of their skin, but their culture and their religion. In South Dakota, officers can stop Indians with the "dangling object" law. Any feather or other Indian-related item can be grounds for complete and intrusive searches.

Indian drivers with tribal license plates make easy targets for racially insensitive cops looking to harass a Native American. Some suggest it is the unwritten policy of police departments to stop all cars sporting a tribal tag.

The ACLU is setting up offices in Minnesota between three reservations to investigate widespread racial profiling of Native Americans. The incarceration rate for Native Americans is grossly out of proportion with that of the general population.

Everyone agrees that whenever a policeman stops an Indian on the road it needs to be documented. The argument that it would be too expensive is silly at best and wrong in reality. One police chief said it would cost nothing. Even if it did, are the police lobbyists suggesting that just because it cost money to track offenses it shouldn't be done?

Clearly, Native Americans occupy the bottom rung of every serious socio-economic indicator including violence; it stands to reason racially profiling of Indians is going to extremely high. If that is the case, law enforcement needs to remedy this miscarriage of justice.



NTN Article#: 5123

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Here is the link to the website article/report, plus part of the article below:

http://www.amnestyusa.org/racial_profiling/report/index.html

As the testimony cited in this report shows, racial profiling occurs in almost every context of people’s lives:

• While driving: A young African-American schoolteacher reports being routinely pulled over in his suburban neighborhood in San Carlos, California, where only five other African-American families live. Native Americans in Oklahoma report being routinely stopped by police because of the tribal tags displayed on their cars. In Texas, a Muslim student of South Asian ancestry is pulled over and asked by police if he is carrying any dead bodies or bombs.
• While walking: In Seattle,Washington, a group of Asian-American youths are detained on a street corner by police for 45 minutes on an allegation of jaywalking. While a sergeant ultimately ordered the officer in question to release them, the young people say they saw whites repeatedly crossing the same street in an illegal manner without being stopped.
• While traveling through airports: An eight-year-old Muslim boy from Tulsa, Oklahoma was reportedly separated from his family while airport security officials searched him and dismantled his Boy Scout pinewood derby car. He is now routinely stopped and searched at airports.
• While shopping: In New York City, an African- American woman shopping for holiday presents was stopped by security at a major department store. She showed the guards her receipts. Nonetheless, she was taken to a holding cell in the building where every other suspect she saw was a person of color. She was subjected to threats and a body search. She was allowed to leave without being charged three hours later, but was not allowed to take her purchases.
• While at home: A Latino family in a Chicago suburb was reportedly awoken at 4:50 a.m. on the day after Father’s Day by nine building inspectors and police officers who prohibited the family from getting dressed or moving about. The authorities reportedly proceeded to search the entire house to find evidence of overcrowding. Enforcement of the zoning ordinance, which was used to justify the search, was reportedly targeted at the rapidly-growing Latino population.
• While traveling to and from places of worship: A Muslim imam from the Dallas area reports being stopped and arrested by police upon leaving a mosque after an outreach event. Officers stopped him, searched his vehicle, arrested him for expired vehicle tags, and confiscated his computer.

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AliKat T., When I worked for a private security in a store, it was my duty to stand at the door & check recepits of everybody who purchased anything at that store. I was by myself & couldn't get everybody, so some walked on by me. The store detective came to help when we got real busy & one lady accused us of racial profiling. We were trying to do our best to not point out any particular group of people, but she really got huffy when we stopped her - accusing us of letting others (white people)  walk on by. Generally speaking the store was 90+% black workers & shoppers, so I just couldn't see how we picked her out. But the 2 of us were white. One black teen walked out with a new pair of shoes on his feet. People have so many ways of conning to steal.

I've been stopped by a black Highway Patrolman who targets all white people, so it works both ways. My husband's co-workers can help get ticket's "fixed" but this guy has to be willing to help. He refuses his co-law-enforcement comrades.

When my husband & I took the Law Enforcement courses, we were taught about profiling, but that profiling doesn't work because those who traffic in drugs get unsuspecting "mules" to carry their packages ~ mostly a family with small children or babies. Race was not a factor as mules. And, YES, contraband is even smuggled in babies diapers.

As far as Native Americans in my state, they have their own tribal law-enforcement as well a judicial system - which in many cases is a joke. Any offense on an Indian reservation or facility (by non-Indians), is a felony & can be turned over to the FBI for prosecution.

In June 2002 my husband had a conference in Colorado Springs. My parents gave me air fare to be with him for that week for my birthday. I had not flown since before 9/11, so I didn't know the air restrictions. I was overpacked & bulky. My luggage was flagged for every boarding from MS to Dallas to Houston to Denver then CO Sp. This was time consuming & very inconvenient. Flying back was worse. And, yes they took things away from me also ~ personal items.

I don't understand why you post these. Some of what you posted didn't even concern profiling, just breaking the law. Most had reasons for being stopped or detained. I know that it happens, but not to the degree that people proport. Laws are there for a reason & many people don't respect the lasw that are in force.

As far as housing, people here pack into single family dwellings like packing sardines into a can. This is a safety factor -- for them! Too many times overcrowding causes housefires or destruction of property which maintains safety for the occupants. Much of the time, they live in government housing & don't pay anything. It's the taxpayer & homeowner who gets stiffed ~ no matter what race, color, or creed they may happen to be.

A lot of what you state is NOT racial profiling ~ because it happens across the board ~ but is simply security factors.

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While I appreciate your feedback to this thread, I do have to disagree with you on your last point:

"Alot of what you state is NOT racial profiling-because it happens across the board-but is simply security factors."

First of all, I personally did not 'state' anything, but simply put out information gathered by other sources that are greatly respected, such as Amnesty International and the National Post from Toronto, Canada.

I disagree that those actions were simply security factors.  These people were stopped because they fit some sort of preordained racial profile, not because they displayed any kind of criminal behaviour.

Yes, I am sure there are some people who feel that they are being targeted because of their race, when in fact they are being targeted because of their activities or actions. 

I am distressed by some of what you say in your post, and I don't think you really truly read through my previous posts, as it is fairly clear that these people were not doing anything wrong when they were harassed.  Some of your statements are very broad and tend to assume a lot. 

For instance:

"I've been stopped by a black highway patrolman who targets all white people..."

This is a very inflammatory statement, as you cannot prove that this man only stops white people...and if this were the case, it would be so prevalent as to gather the attention of those in charge.  Perhaps it is true, but you do not follow up with citing your source for this info.

Your statements about Native Americans having their own tribal law enforcement system and it being 'a joke' is also quite disdainful of their customs and culture.  The Native Americans have been oppressed and mistreated by the government for years, thereby perpetuating the original settlers actions.  Just because you don't agree with their ways, doesn't give you cause to say that their system is a joke...you also seem upset by the fact that any crime committed on their land would result in FBI investigation...why?

I feel that your statements are somewhat non-tolerant of the thread topic, and so I felt I had to say something.  You make a lot of blanket statements that could be construed as racist, and I disagree with most of what you've said.

In answering your query about why I posted those things, I would like to say that I wanted to get this information out there and let people know that racial profiling is not a good idea, it doesn't work any better than any other kind of police investigation techniques, and is based on racism.  How can someone be judged on their potential for committing a crime simply based on their race?  It is a ludicrous thought that someone's behaviour is affected by the race they happen to be.

Crime occurs in all races, all ages, and in males and females, in all circumstances, at all times, so scientifically, the variables involved are too broad to formulate any kind of workable theory.

I remember reading somewhere that the reason it took so long to catch the sniper(s) that terrorized and killed people a few years ago, is because of racial profiling.  Based on the profile of a serial killer, police were only looking for a white man/men, as they tend to be the highest percentage of serial killers.  If police had been open to the idea that it could have been a man/men from a different race, or not even factored race into it at all, they may have been caught much sooner!  (I will be back with some sort of source to corroborate this info.)

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I just found this article talking about the sniper case and how the authorities acted:

http://www.manews.org/12sniper.html

"A review of the investigatory tactics used to track down the two shows that the willingness of federal and local police to use racial profiling when suspects are believed to be white, but not when they might be non-white, helped delay their apprehension, costing the lives of sniper victims.

For three long weeks, the snipers terrorized the Washington, D.C., beltway area, killing eleven people and severely wounding two. Despite the terror, law enforcement authorities allowed themselves to be blinded by ideology, deciding in advance that the suspects must be white, because authorities didn't want to hurt the feelings of racial minorities.

During the sniper terror that gripped Maryland, Virginia and Washington, newspaper accounts reported that several witnesses said they saw "Middle-Eastern" or "Hispanic"-looking men. Some witnesses said the men were "olive skinned" or "dark skinned." But police organizations refused to act on the information, deciding instead to rely on their own "profilers" who said they believed the suspects were white...

...Montgomery County, Maryland, Police Chief Charles Moose, who led the multi-jurisdictional task force, told reporters that investigators had at least a "partial description" of the suspects whom he characterized as "minorities."

Despite that information, Chief Moose, who is black, refused to release a sketch or further information about the snipers' possible ethnicity. He said he did not want to "paint some group."...

...But whites were targeted by the investigation, even though profiling of non-white suspects is not permitted in the U.S. Police at roadblocks set up in the area after each shooting were told to "wave cars by if the drivers were minorities or females," one BATF officer told WorldNetDaily. "They were told to search only cars with white males behind the wheel," said the report.

The police were so convinced that their racial profile of white suspects was accurate, they were inclined to doubt eye-witnesses who contradicted the profile.

"We don't want anyone to give up on the fact that it could be a white guy," said Derek Baliles, one of Moose's investigative officers at the task force headquarters in Rockville, Maryland.
When witnesses at a shooting in the parking garage of a Home Depot store in Virginia told police they saw suspects described as "dark skinned," Baliles suggested the lighting was bad in the garage, and even speculated that white men could have been wearing dark make-up...

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I feel you have preconceived ideas about what I'm trying to say and therefore misunderstand my posts.

...information gathered by other sources that are greatly respected, such as Amnesty International Which has an agenda to give you facts such as they have.

These people were stopped because they fit some sort of preordained racial profile, not because they displayed any kind of criminal behaviour. While some is racial profiling by a few, it is not prevalent in the majority of law enforcement. And you don't know that they didn't display any criminal behavior.

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Hello again...

I am sorry if I have misunderstood your post.  I do not want to do that, and I tried to word my response in such a way as to not be inflammatory. 

Perhaps I was worried about how others may also construe your words, and did not want any racist comments made here.

The subject matter is a hard one to discuss without getting into the nitty-gritty of racism.  And often, when one discusses such issues, it is hard to do so without offending someone, when that is the last thing one wants to do!

So, I apologize if I reacted too harshly, but felt that some of the things you said required some clarification, and as host, this is my job.

And of course Amnesty International has an agenda, as all groups do, and when one looks at someone's agenda, it can either be classified as good or bad, depending on one's point of view.  I believe that Amnesty International has a good agenda, and promotes basic human rights for everyone, but that is my point of view.

I agree that racism works both ways, and I myself have been treated a certain way by those who only look at me based on my physical appearance.  Some may say that racism applies only to minorities, but I disagree, and think that racism is simply the way a person categorizes another person in their head, based on the differences between them.  Racism is sneaky and subtle, or it can be bold and flagrant.  I believe all people should be treated with respect and dignity and not prejudged based on the colour of their skin or where they were born.

I think that when you refered to the tribal system, you were speaking out of frustration based on your experiences with it...am I right?  I am sorry I misunderstood you on that point, and think I have a better grasp on what you were trying to convey.

I applaud your efforts on trying to adopt! and I am sorry that you weren't permitted to do so.

I would also like to apologize once more for misunderstanding your points, and next time I will write to ask you to clarify if I don't understand something.

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for your understanding andI knew there must have been some kind of misunderstanding because I couldn't see you accusing me of such. But take into account the different ares of the continent we live in also. You didn't react too harshly considering the circumstances. I like to consider where other people are coming from before I make any kind of judgments concerning them or their beliefs.

I think that when you refered to the tribal system, you were speaking out of frustration based on your experiences with it...am I right?  Actually not. Yes, I had a lot of frustration working in the federal system - the pay was great, but there was a lot of federal bureacracy to contend with on a daily basis. But not with the kids or their families. My information about the tribal judicial system came directly from the indiginous people about their own system in their own community.

The tribal system would rather let those children grow up in NA foster homes before allowing a good (nohollo-white) or non-Indian family to adopt them. One of the foster families let one of their disabled children drink from the toilet instead of letting him go to the kitchen to get water. This child is dead now he had CP (cerebral palsy). Other members of my classroom are dead now because of their lifestyles. The 3 children we brought home one Easter weekend, had a great time. We bought the girls dresses & shoes & the boy shirts , pants & shoes. They went Easter egg hunting with the family.

No apology necessary. I realize that I write like I talk & sometimes it is hard to clearly convey what I'm trying to say. My reply to your post is strictly my opinion from my life experiences. Please accept my apology for any information that I may have conveyed in poor writing.

Please feel free to check out my PPP group & write at least one of these kids if you can. I'm sure they would appreciate it.

Prison Pen Pals etc

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Hey NanCarolee:

And I say to you also, no apology necessary...just glad we were able to communicate honestly about our feelings and opinions...

I know what you mean about writing how you talk, and sometimes when something is in written form it takes on a whole different meaning than if it were spoken aloud.  Tonality and pitch, as well as sentence structure and facial expressions go a long way to help people convey their message, and all of that is lost when writing in emails or message boards.

I am a writer by nature, though not yet by profession, and I do realize the power that written words have...so, that is what this is all about, getting to know the members of our groups etc., so that we can be rid of miscommunications.

And yes, I would be more than happy to go to your group PPP and see what it is all about.

Have a good evening, and I look forward to more conversations with you so we can get to know more about where we hail from, our life experiences and all that.

For anyone else reading this, please feel free to add to this discussion!

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What's it to you Donna? No, I'm not going to get back into a bickering frenzy with you, which makes me think that's why you posted this here. All my "friends" know why. Don't let it bother you!

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All I ask of you, NAN, and any other member of this group, is just to please let me know (when you are making a post), if you have recently changed your ID name...that way I can keep track of who I am responding too, and I will know who you are, and not mistake you for a newbie to this group, as I did above with NAN.

I don't really care if anyone changes their name or picture as this is something I do all the time with msn messenger.  I don't do it here because I want to be known by those in my groups etc. 

So, next time Nan, if you have changed your name, please just let me know it's you whenever you next post something okay?  That's all I ask.  As host of this group I like to know who my members are and form a host/member relationship with them. 

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