Racial bias by police, victims, perps, or witnesses?

Question

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070209/ap_on_re_us/nypd_street_stops

Based on the statistics in the article, who should be complaining?

<
Although 30.5 of those stopped were Hispanic, 24.5 percent of descriptions from victims and witnesses were of Hispanics. And even though 11.1 percent of people stopped were white, victims and witnesses gave descriptions of whites in 5.3 percent of the cases, Browne said.>>


I find it funny that Al Sharpton is getting involved even though black people were stopped at a LOWER rate than they were reported and White and Mexican people were stopped at a HIGHER rate than reported. White people were stopped more than TWICE as much. It seems to me that the White people have the most to complain about, yet here we have Al Sharpton crying racism against Blacks again.

Answer 1

this is what makes our jobs difficult. The witnesses, in an attempt to NOT sound racist, often say they are unsure of the race of the offender. It makes my job as a 911 operator very difficult if I don't know what race to tell my officers they are looking for. Later, when asked why they didn't just say the guy was a specific race, they say they thought we would think they were racist and making it up. trust me this happens more than you think !! We had a mother one time tell us that we only arrested and picked on her son because he was Mexican... my sergeant tactfully said "no ma'am it's because he's a gang member. You might know this if you actually listened to us once in a while. By the way, we have your little angel on tape breaking into the gas station."

Answer 2

People need to get over the racist bullsh*t. The cops are doing their jobs trying to protect citizens. If victims are saying that the person that robbed them or attacted them was black and mexican, then why search a white man? Are the victims also being racists and just saying it was a black or mexican? I doubt it. Get over the whole racism and profiling thing because everyone is tired of hearing about it people.

Answer 3

The racism issue comes up so much these days,
just about everywhere in the world............................

I think that there needs to be a look taken at this at
all levels of all governments, because there is no
racialism involved in stopping anyone I do not think,
area to area different people are stopped at roadblocks
etc..........Sometimes the Police officers are different
colours, sometimes the perps are different colours.....

CRIME really does not have a colour, if you commit
a crime or get stopped and found out with some contraband
in your car, sometimes the colour issue is used as an
excuse.......................................................................................

THERE are people of all colours committing crimes, and
police of all colours nationalities in every country in the
world policing them, what is this thing about colour,
CRIME has no colour, and neither does POLICING..................

Answer 4

Obviously if someone says they were mugged by a white man, then the police are going to stop white men. Thats just common sense. Some people try to make everything about race.

Answer 5

I'm tired of hearing about racism by anyone; the beginning of the end of racism is for it to cease being used as an excuse for everything that goes wrong in a person's life.

Answer 6

i feel racism is everywhere weather it be. whites against blacks ,blacks against whites ect.. but i do believe its a terrible cycle. and their have been many false reports against the blacks. for example. the susan smith case. so i can see where people get weary.. i dont believe the police do their job .i think the are incompetent and lack common sense. i am not racist. i am a white female who can see all sides. i choose not to be bias.but i cant say that for everyone.