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0 pointszeveb10y ago0 comments

> So here is a guess: you are white, you have a standard hairstyle, you wear standard clothes.

One can't help one's colour, but one can help one's hairstyle and clothes. How one presents oneself is one aspect of one's communication with others, to include the police. If one broadcasts the message, 'I am likely to be a petty criminal' to the police, one should expect to be harassed.

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wkimeria10y ago

Sorry, but this is such a dumb argument. I'm black, I dress conservatively, similar to my white friends, we share the same socio-economic background, but yet the treatment we get from the police is vastly different (random 'dwb' stops, harrasment, and in one case a very pissed off white cop who hated the fact that my wife is white). Oh, and about 70% of my friends have smoked weed at some point in their life. I've never done so (but guess who has been stopped multiple times and searched, both while driving and having committed no crime, and a couple of times when walking)

Bouncingsoul110y ago

(1) All persons shall be equal before the law. (2) Except the person looks like a petty criminal

Consultant3245210y ago

If I walk up to a police officer and tell them I'm a threat to them I expect to get extra attention I probably won't like. Pretending like body language and other forms of communication don't send the same message is disingenuous.

vkou10y ago

So, having darker skin makes someone a threat?

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wkimeria10y ago

So what body language was James Blake showing when he was tackled by police, or Amadou Diallo when he was shot 41 times by plainclothes cops. It's amazing to me the lengths people will go to justify racism.

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pstuart10y ago

Like this "thug"?

http://crooksandliars.com/2014/08/walking-while-black-beverl...

Let me guess, you're white?

sfk10y ago

Another this-is-how-the-world-works apologist on HN.

TeMPOraL10y ago

Well, you get to ignore reality at your own peril.

xtrumanx10y ago

That sounds very similar to the "what was she wearing when she got harassed" mentality which I believe was frowned upon around here.

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