Posted on 06/26/2002 10:24:58 AM PDT by EggsAckley
That's right, profiled! *GASP* How will I ever recover from such an insult!?! Let me tell you about it.
There we were, heading off to work on a bright, sunny morning, just about to cross over the Martinez/Benicia bridge. Suddenly, out of nowhere, there's a CHP behind us, and two Calif. State Patrol cars following him.
Of course, I pulled over; there's little chance I'd try to outrun THESE guys in a Dodge Utility Van. The moment I stopped on the shoulder, the van was surrounded by officers, guns drawn, and very serious expressions on their faces.
After the initial driver's license inspection, I thought it odd that the two passengers should have to ALSO show their IDs, but I wasn't about to make a big deal over it. Then, while we were standing on the side of the road, they went into the van and took a few minutes checking out the contents (a bunch of music equipment and suitcases.)
No, I wasn't nervous, mainly because I knew that 1) I had broken no laws and, 2) there was nothing "illicit" in the van. But I WAS curious. After the inspection of the van's contents, their attitudes lightened, and they began to apologize for the inconvenience.
They then explained to us that they were conducting a manhunt, and the suspect vehicle was a Dodge Utility Van. The van in question wasn't the same color as mine, but they weren't taking any chances.
Of course, this case of profiling took place nearly thirty years ago, when three men hijacked a school bus full of children and then took the children (in the van) to a remote locale. There, they locked the children in a buried container. Is this sounding familiar? Yes, it WAS shown on television last night, and that is what reminded me of the incident.
How did I react to this case of "profiling?" Well, I certainly did NOT contact my lawyer and whine about my civil rights. My reaction at the time was (and still is,) "hey, there are the lives of children at stake here. Search my van all you want, and then go and stop every other van you can find."
Profiling? Pfffftt! Yes, my van was the wrong color, and yes, they were looking for three men, not a woman driving a van. But can I fault them for being desperate to find those kids? Lives were at stake, and time was of the essence.
Is this ringing any bells???
Were we victims of profiling? Nahhh....we were helping out in the war on drugs. ;o)
What it comes down to, really, is this: if you match a profile of someone who has killed or likely will kill, it is in your own interests that profiling be allowed. After all, it could be YOUR daughter that dies in the next terrorist attack.
However, I do believe that profiling ought to have some sort of justification, like a warrant of some sort. Maybe an affidavit signed by an FBI profiler, or something like that. I'm just trying to head off the civil rights objections, which are certainly reasonable.
I haven't thought through this issue completely, so I'm open to ideas. I of all people do not want to grant the Federal government undue power. I think profiling, done properly, can help stop terrorism without making the U.S. a police state. Am I being optimistic?
What it comes down to, really, is this: if you match a profile of someone who has killed or likely will kill, it is in your own interests that profiling be allowed. After all, it could be YOUR daughter that dies in the next terrorist attack.
However, I do believe that profiling ought to have some sort of justification, like a warrant of some sort. Maybe an affidavit signed by an FBI profiler, or something like that. I'm just trying to head off the civil rights objections, which are certainly reasonable.
I haven't thought through this issue completely, so I'm open to ideas. I of all people do not want to grant the Federal government undue power. I think profiling, done properly, can help stop terrorism without making the U.S. a police state. Am I being optimistic?
I think a problem is that when a screening system is random, it may appear that inverse profiling is being used, when in fact, one is only seeing order in randomness. By that nonsensical statement I mean that people might ASSUME that profiling is being used, when in fact it is not.
Which raises the point -- should profiling be used instead of random screening, or in conjunction with it? If the former, then we'll see blond-haired terrorists. If the latter, then the system slows down even more, now that any vaguely-Arabic-looking male will be screened, as well as your average blue-haired granny.
So I wonder how other profiling-supporters would have this implemented. I'm not really sure myself.
That said, it didn't bother me too much. Although, I was a bit frightened when they took my passport away.
Profiling scares the hell out of those people.
There may still be time!!!! Call one now and whine - you're entitled to some money!!!
She continued to argue the point stating that it was obvious she was singled out because of her dark skin......finally, after quite a few comments by each of us, I asked her where she was detained.......it was in Europe!!!! Not in the US.......... I wanted to hit up upside the head......lol.........she still didn't get that the US had nothing to do with her being searched.........
Some people are really going a bit overboard....now if she looked arab...hahah
BRAVO EggsAckley! Its so good to hear that sensibility is alive and well, even if it was 30 yrs. ago.
At about the same time as this happened to you, my younger sister and her husband were stopped by law enforcement. My sis was eight months pregnant. Their van matched the same van that had robbed a bank earlier that day. They had my niece, a one-year-old child at that time. My sis was ordered to lay flat with her hands behind her. My brother-in-law laid upon their child when the peace officers' guns were upon them.
Of course, it was a wrong identification.
Do you think this would be allowed now?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/705564/posts?q=1&&page=1251
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