Los Angeles Police Accused of Racial Profiling

Okay, the headline is garden variety. How sad is it we can ever use that term, eh? Anyway..nothing about the initial glance would grab attention. However, in this recent lawsuit, the devil is in the details in a way that will surprise you. I just about promise it.

The basic allegation is..well basic. Even a bit tired to hear it said.

Rayven Vinson et al. sued Los Angeles, the University of Southern California and 12 named LAPD officers in a federal complaint of excessive force, false arrest, malicious prosecution and other claims.

The students say that during the early hours of May 4, 2013 police raided their party at 1222 W. 23rd St., while allowing a party to continue in the house across the street.

Yeah yeah, wah wah and cry me a river..I'm thinking at this point. One party got pooped and the other got popped. It happens...so what?

Well, an LAPD unit came, saw, and panicked. I'm not sure quite how else you'd describe this.

Police reportedly asked a DJ at the plaintiffs' party to turn the music off. The DJ allegedly responded with shout-outs from a microphone. One of the responding officers, defendant Carlyle, then called for backup, according to a report from USC Annenberg.

backup... OH YEEAAH. You could call it that. You could also call the Iraq war a misadventure, but sometimes understatement doesn't do justice to the miss on this scale.

Approximately 79 riot police with batons formed a skirmish line on nearby Hoover Street, USC Annenberg reported, then used excessive force to arrest the six students.

Source: Courthouse News

This wasn't a gang banger party in South-Central. This was a party by U.S.C. students. SEVENTY NINE riot cops...to SIX ARRESTS?! Really??

Not a whole street even secured, let alone handled and processed. Just HALF a street and a rather specific HALF when there are two parties going at opposing homes on the street. I'm somewhat lost to the logic on this, except panic begot more overreaction and it all went more wild than the party it started with.

(79?..really?? I mean..nothing better for that many to be doing???)

a reply to: Wrabbit2000

Wrabbit...

They must justify their military equipment, new riot gear, and "civilians are the enemy" training by treating a college house party like a war zone.

Yes, over reaction is a MUST.
Head bashing with shiny new equipment is a MUST.
Breaking the will of the people (esp. the brown people) is a MUST.

Basically, take what George Carlin said in the 1990s about the the 1st Gulf War and apply it to the ever increasing militarization of police and their treatment of "brown people."

a reply to: Wrabbit2000

And yet

If they had used far fewer and there had been fights and injuries, you would complain about that..

SHEESH

a reply to: semperfortis

Well, I hear you on that and appreciate the concerns of Officer safety involved.

In reading more at the source though, it's clear the party was properly registered with USC cops, as is apparently required, and checking ID's at the door (?). The claim is the party across the street was not checking anything and was unregistered. These guys got 79 riot cops on their party...the one across the way got a simple contact and request to disperse.

I'm not sure how I'd take this for "how much more is there here??" if it were a recent event and media coverage, but this is at the filed lawsuit stage for this being the story everyone is going into court with. It sounds a bit off for whatever happened out there.

Everyone profiles. I just profiled someone from the Uk today, assuming they drink tea. We profile the young all the time. More profiling is done in the world that is not linked to race at all. Even religions profile other religions.

If we want to stop racial profiling, we need to stop all profiling. We all need to unite. Now, the government wouldn't like that, they would rather have us arguing over profiling issues than looking at them.

originally posted by: rickymouse
Everyone profiles. I just profiled someone from the Uk today, assuming they drink tea. We profile the young all the time. More profiling is done in the world that is not linked to race at all. Even religions profile other religions.

If we want to stop racial profiling, we need to stop all profiling. We all need to unite. Now, the government wouldn't like that, they would rather have us arguing over profiling issues than looking at them.

I think it's ridiculous to think you can stop profiling, in fact in most cases I think it is necessary. Just look at TSA and the airport, is the reason they frisk little girls so they can say they don't profile? If the call goes out to be on the look out for caucasian male in a toyota truck that robbed a bank, why look at blacks driving cars? If 90% of all particular suspects you're looking for are one race or religion or dress a certain way, why would you not show them special attention? This is the common sense approach. Profiling is an Ahole abusing power, not common sense authoritative review of personnel or property. Yeah it sucks to match the profile but what's the alternative, look and 1000 men while looking for one woman in 1010 people? What would be wrong with separating out the 10 women and having a look, and sending the 1000 men down the road? Or is this just another way for the government to have a reason to search everyone under the guise of non-profiling?

Racial profiling is without a doubt a Pol Correct Buzzword ...

Profiling itself is an interesting subject

To eliminate profiling completely in any one person would require a complete reformat of their social, economic and cultural history. Now consider that with the current 750 Thousand or so Law Enforcement Officers...

One could even consider the current manner the Justice System gathers and records statistics as profiling; even racial profiling for that matter. Yet statistics are what they are and to "scew" them to prevent profiling would completely negate their worth.



Semper

originally posted by: semperfortis
a reply to: Wrabbit2000

And yet

If they had used far fewer and there had been fights and injuries, you would complain about that..

SHEESH

You don't think 79 cops in riot gear to make 6 arrests of COLLEGE STUDENTS is a bit excessive?

Cops are so cowardly these days.

Disgusting.

originally posted by: semperfortis
Racial profiling is without a doubt a Pol Correct Buzzword ...

Profiling itself is an interesting subject

To eliminate profiling completely in any one person would require a complete reformat of their social, economic and cultural history. Now consider that with the current 750 Thousand or so Law Enforcement Officers...

One could even consider the current manner the Justice System gathers and records statistics as profiling; even racial profiling for that matter. Yet statistics are what they are and to "scew" them to prevent profiling would completely negate their worth.

Semper

I don't think the are worth what they used to be. You used to be able to tell what side of town a person is from just by the way they dress. You could tell what kind of job they had by what kind of car they drove. Now days though that sort of assumption would be ignorant. Too many fashions, too many choices and types of people. To profile now would be like saying a specific type is ok (like a shirt and tie and driving a Camry) and the rest are suspect. Police really need to stop wasting time, money and computer memory trying to learn something they can figure out by walking a beat and knowing people rather than rolling around in a cruiser waiting for a description on the radio.

originally posted by: semperfortis
Racial profiling is without a doubt a Pol Correct Buzzword ...

Profiling itself is an interesting subject

To eliminate profiling completely in any one person would require a complete reformat of their social, economic and cultural history. Now consider that with the current 750 Thousand or so Law Enforcement Officers...

One could even consider the current manner the Justice System gathers and records statistics as profiling; even racial profiling for that matter. Yet statistics are what they are and to "scew" them to prevent profiling would completely negate their worth.

Semper

What you have made me think about is demographics and the national census. If the census isn't racial profiling what is?