Delivering newspapers while black

[Cyrano]

A little over two hours ago, there was a knock at my door and I wondered who the hell was up earlier than I have to get up.

It was the police and they had Jack (last name deliberately left out) in custody. Jack has been delivering papers in my area for at least 15 years and I always give him a Christmas present for his son. (Yes, I have been awake early enough to meet Jack and thank him for what he does.)

Evidently, the police had grabbed Jack because he was a black man in the "wrong" neighborhood. He told them he was delivering papers, but there was a short run this morning. Jack had only a few papers left and was about to return to pick up the balance of his supply.

After identifying Jack, I asked the two officers why they had stopped him. One said that it was "pretty early to be 'prowling' the neighborhood." The other cop was much younger and just looked embarrassed. (You'd think that after 15 years, the older cop would have known who Jack was. -- Maybe he did. Who knows?)

I was still in my jammies and while my blood pressure was shooting through the roof, I bit my tongue with the knowledge that the prick in uniform who was doing the talking had the power to drag me off too if he felt like it.

After a minute, the cops left and I invited Jack in, telling him I was going to put on some coffee. He thanked me, but said he had to get back to work.

I guess it doesn't matter whether you deliver papers, or are the President of the United States. It seems that breathing while black is a crime. There's not a day that passes on which I don't expect to hear that some madman has shot Obama. And, although this fear should have always been present, I now worry about Jack too.

(Gotta' get to work, but I'll reply to any questions later.)

[marmar]

1. 'Prowling in the neighborhood'

Jeezus, what an asshole. And there are more cops like that than people want to admit.

[Phentex]

2. We get reports of a suspicious vehicle....

We had a white college kid deliver the paper for a few years and nobody ever said anything. Since then, there have been a few different carriers. The most recent one happens to be black and we've already received reports of someone cruising the neighborhood, driving slowly past houses, etc. FINALLY somebody told the neighborhood busybody that the person was delivering newspapers!

[eomer]

3. K&R -- for Jack. n/t

[TreasonousBastard]

4. Maybe 10 years ago I knew limo driver who...

was surrounded by police at 5 AM in some dinky NJ town. Someone complained that a black man was loitering in a driveway across the street.

Nobody, including the cops, seemed to notice that the black man was "loitering" while sitting in a Lincoln Town Car with limousine plates, the lights on, and reading a newspaper.

His client just barely made it to the airport in time that morning.

[polichick]

5. Even old white guys are nabbed for being in the wrong neighborhood these days...

Bob Dylan was picked up on the Jersey shore and taken to his hotel to prove his identity. Crazy world!

[polmaven]

6. Well, now....

breathing while black is not a crime.....as long as you do it in the ghetto! Get it straight, will you? Don't go trying to breath in a white man's neighborhood!

Just in case anyone REALLY needs to see this....:sarcasm:

[Xenotime]

7. We need more equality in the country..

.Maybe a limit on who can have children would help.

[CrispyQ]

10. Oh come on,

I'm sure this family celebrates diversity. :eyes:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6436134

:puke:

[blogslut]

8. Was the officer at all remorseful?

?

[Cyrano]

11. Nope. A bit over anxious to "find a crime" if I was reading him right.

Then again, who knows. Perhaps it was my own bias against bigots kicking in.

[blogslut]

14. If it were me, in your situation

I would call the city editor of that newspaper and tell them about the incident.

[Cyrano]

17. See posting #12.

As an agnostic, I don't believe there's any hereafter. But if there is, and some guy with a long beard is sitting in front of a gate, I'm going to be forced to plead cowardice.

[blogslut]

19. I understand

I really do. That's why I suggested going through the newspaper city editor. If they give the PD a call, it's a little more intimidating. If the newspaper keeps it to itself and begins conducting some journalistic investigation - BONUS!

But really, I can dig it. It sucks to be the little guy, and your expressed fears are what keeps us from speaking out. I don't blame you. I live in a small town and I'm a little guy and not sure I would do anything either.

[shireen]

9. would it be worth talking to someone in the police department about it?

If they have a community relations rep., this sounds like a good issue to discuss with him/her. It sounds like someone needs to explain to that older officer that what he did was UNACCEPTABLE. He should apologize to Jack. He should get a new senior partner who is black, someone who can teach that dolt how to be a decent human being, :mad:

[Cyrano]

12. Talking to any PD rep is not a good idea.

Blowing the whistle on a cop for what wasn't even a misdemeanor, can cause you problems. You could find yourself getting pulled over or harassed for a hundred different reasons.

I'm just grateful I wasn't a witness to a felony committed by a cop. Most "good citizens" willing to testify against a cop don't realize that they may have a target painted on them.

Sorry to be so cynical. There are countless good cops out there who really believe that their badge is not a license to pursue their own agenda and would never do anything to dishonor it. But there are just enough bad ones who can make your life miserable.

[rucky]

13. I'm surprised they didn't get him for littering.

Throwing paper on neighborhood yards, ya know.

[Cyrano]

15. Yep. As insane as it seems, half a century ago, black men were lynched for less.

[slackmaster]

16. Littering...

...And creating a disturbance.

[LAGC]

18. You'd think after seeing the papers the cops would have believed him and just let him go.

Of course, they could just say to their superiors that they thought it was just a prop to cover for the "crimes he was about to commit"?

Silly pigs. When will they stop racially profiling?

[Cyrano]

20. Racial profiling isn't going to stop.

If Jesus came back today, he'd be considered a little too "middle-east looking" or be harassed for being some kind of 1960s retro nut. And that would be before he even opened his mouth.

Imagine if he repeated some of the things he supposedly said 2000 years ago. Especially if he said them in the deep South, or Orange County, California.

It wouldn't take long before Republicans demanded that Crucifixion be reinstated as the primary form of capital punishment and insist that every state use it.

[Soylent Brice]

21. USA!! USA!!! we're #1!! we're #1!!

land of the free, home of the brave, and all that, ...

yeah, as much as some things change, other things never do.

[Cyrano]

22. Great post, Soylent Brice.

Your exact words have been in the back of my mind for some time now to use as a posting.

Thank you for saving me the keystrokes.

You really need to use those words as an OP. If it pisses off some, so be it. But I think most DUers will agree with the hypocrisy embedded in those sentiments.

[Soylent Brice]

23. eh. i'm not one for confrontation. better to stick it in here somewhere and hope

someone catches it.

the overwhelming hypocrisy is one of the few things that keep me going anymore. i simply can't wait to see what happens next. things have become so surreal.

a neverending trainwreck that you keep watching and wincing at, hoping that somehow it will veer at the last moment, and we relive it over and over and over again.

on edit, another example of what i'm referring to:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4041612&mesg_id=4041612