I’m in love with a black man and he loves me. What affects him, affects me and what affects me, affects him. So here I am at the annual American Society of Criminology (ASC) meeting presenting the findings of my study on racial profiling in America. Why is there this constant debate over what it is? How do you define it? Quantitatively? Qualitatively? Both? What data is the standard? The police don’t want to collect race statistics because they don’t want to be called racists. And the community complains to news reporters and their stories are called ‘anecdotes.’ So how do you tame this beast?
I stand in front of the brightest minds in my field, the country’s top scholars waiting to hear what I found. So with a big breath, I start…
How can scores of black people be wrong? Why are they discounted so? If the tables were reversed and black cops were stopping white citizens, surely there would be no debate. Listen to me carefully. I documented the lives and stories of 20 black men living in Washington, DC for six months. They kept a journal of the times they had been stopped and the average was five times a week. Let me say that again, the average was five times a week. Some will say that I have limitations in my research and that my case study was not scientific enough. Do I know they weren’t speeding? I guess not. Were they transporting drugs? I hope not. Drugs were never found in any of the so-called ‘consent searches.’
My conclusion is that the black man is under siege. He followed doctor’s orders and got a good education from a good school, got a good job, and bought a nice house in the ‘right’ neighborhood. He doesn’t beat his wife, is a good father to his children, but to no avail. He is still oppressed, disrespected, and harassed. I guess someone forgot to tell him: You’re still black.
Be safe,
L.J.
Follow me on Twitter: @CrimeDoc1213@gmail.com
#love #black #man #race #police #racialprofiling #RaceinAmerica #racematters #dialogue #discourse #truth #respect #change #ASC #criminology #crime #justice #deardiary #ljsamuel
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You Have the Right to Remain...Informed 
Thanks for the article LJ. I guess this could also depend on where you live (the ratio to black to white men in the area)? I haven’t done much research on the topic, but I do find it interesting. For comparison reasons, have you also asked 20 white men in the same area, the same question? It would be interesting to know the results. Also, I would be interested in knowing the race of the policemen that stop all the men. Thanks for sharing. Please share your results, if you do a follow up.
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Hi Kelly,
Thanks for the comments. Just as a follow-up, the area where the study was done was 65% black. The department had about 50/30/20 split in terms of race (50% white/30% black/20 other). Lastly, the officers initiating the stops were all white. Very telling, don’t you think?
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