The following safety information is courtesy of Rey Gonzalez.
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In 2008, The Department of Justice (DoJ) published a fact sheet under then President Bush 43 and Attorney General John Ashcroft, defining the problems with racial profiling. The MSM had a field day with this topic. The opening states in part, “Racial profiling sends the dehumanizing message to our citizens that they are judged by the color of their skin and harms the criminal justice system by eviscerating the trust that is necessary if law enforcement is to effectively protect our communities.”
The report continues with three main points.
1. America Has a Moral Obligation to Prohibit Racial Profiling.
2. The Overwhelming Majority of Federal Law Enforcement Officers Perform Their Jobs with Dedication, Fairness and Honor, But Any Instance of Racial Profiling by a Few Damages Our Criminal Justice System.
3. Racial Profiling Is Discrimination, and It Taints the Entire Criminal Justice System.
In the report, you find verbiage like “practices are perceived to be biased or unfair…” and “profiling rests on the erroneous assumption…” Not necessarily facts are they? But, our government seems to think so. The DoJ and many large police departments across the country have spent millions of tax dollars to study and report on this issue. The gist of all of this was one word: race. A feel good, “we’ve done something, civil rights cause, bad policing, we will fix it” study. Political correctness. Is a white officer in a predominantly black neighborhood racially profiling if his reported encounters are mostly black individuals? How about a Hispanic officer in a predominantly Asian neighborhood? Is he profiling race? How about a Black officer in a white neighborhood? The flaws in such reports is evident, but MSM reporting was non-existent. Now, just remove the word “race” from the equation and add “behavior”. Now we’ve got something.
It’s all feel good, lovey, dovey stuff from our government, but my point here is not how law enforcement does their job, it’s about how we, as regular citizens, deal with profiling to keep ourselves and loved ones safe.
Several weeks ago, while discussing TSA on this very blog, I suggested one simply observe an El Al counter and see how the Mossad…..oh gosh…my bad…. how the airline employees conduct their security. I also wrote that if you stand there long enough just watching, you would be approached by an indiscreet individual and questioned as to what you’re doing and for what purpose. You see, it’s the behavior that gets you noticed, and I can tell you, El Al employees are very good at this. Who goes to the airport to observe security checkpoints? Ever see an individual, regardless of race/sex leave a school property or bank parking lot late at night? Cleaning crew? Ever see a Hispanic/Black/Asian man at 4:30 a.m. driving slowly thru a ritzy neighborhood stopping at several houses every few yards? Newspaper delivery? Ever see a white, higher class individual, driving a rather expensive car in a predominantly black neighborhood known for drug activity? Your call. How about an individual with a long coat, a hat, and dark glasses walking into a bank in 90 degree weather? Although I mention Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, Asians, there’s nothing about race here.
You may call it your sixth sense; your intuitive faculty giving you awareness not explicable in terms of normal perception. What you’re seeing and comprehending is a behavior that is not normal. We all go to our grocery stores and malls, arrive, find the nearest parking spot, and walk in. Ever notice a car bypassing open parking stalls, driving up and down the aisles? What if they were three or four young black males in a junky car, at an upscale mall? Thieves? Armed robbers? Are they the restaurant staff? If you notice the behavior, the race/sex is not the question, well, only if they do commit a crime and you are asked by police to identify and provide your observations. Awareness for your safety is key. Profile and profile some more; the behavior.
And some more sound advice. Ever notice the armored truck picking up or delivering just outside the front door of a business you are entering or exiting? Why do you enter or exit while they are there? That’s the attack zone. Why go into it? Will a few minutes waiting in your car or away from the area before you exit be prudent? You bet. In public, a mall, a theater, a restaurant, do you ever notice exit signs, restrooms, egresses in case of an emergency? It’s a good thing. You need not be phobic or in constant fear. A little attention to behavior and your surroundings goes a long way.
Stay safe my friends.
