(06-05-2020, 07:44 PM)NYC4jags Wrote:

(06-05-2020, 09:36 AM)copycat Wrote: Curious and hopeful that maybe we can all agree there are no easy answers.  I offer a hypothetical question:

A white police officer is sitting in his car on the side of the street finishing up some paperwork when he hears over the radio: “Be on the lookout for a black male in his mid to late 20’s wearing a red shirt and driving a blue sedan.  He has been involved in a domestic dispute and has abducted a 4 year old child.  He is considered to be armed and dangerous.”

At that moment a 27 year old black male headed to work driving a blue sedan crosses the intersection the police officer is sitting at. The man is dropping of his 4 year old son at the daycare around the corner before starting his day as an Asst. Manager at Target.

Now ask yourself the following questions.

1. What should the police officer do? 
2. How would you respond if you were the man headed to work?
3. How many different ways can this interaction go depending on either the young mans or the police officers actions?

1. He should do his job.
Preferably without brutalizing or killing anyone. 

2. Like I got pulled over by a cop who may suspect I am someone else? Ummm, what is the alternative? 

3. If the cop recognizes that there are more than one young fathers with blue cars and red shirts - that would help him do his job without screwing up the "interaction." 

Geez, I hope that's not too big a stretch to ask of our police force that I'm told would not benefit from any improvement whatsoever in vetting or training.

1.  Suspect is to be considered armed and dangerous.  How should he approach the vehicle?  Andy Griffith or gun drawn?

2.  Did you just get pulled over for driving while black or did you just get pulled over for fitting the description of someone who committed a crime?

3.  If the young man being pulled over realized there may be a reasonable explanation for him being pulled over besides him being black it might alter the interaction.

There is potential for both parties in this scenario to make this go sideways.  You appear to focus on only one side.  I posed the question so that perhaps we could all take a step back and consider the other side.

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(06-05-2020, 07:44 PM)NYC4jags Wrote:

(06-05-2020, 09:36 AM)copycat Wrote: Curious and hopeful that maybe we can all agree there are no easy answers.  I offer a hypothetical question:

A white police officer is sitting in his car on the side of the street finishing up some paperwork when he hears over the radio: “Be on the lookout for a black male in his mid to late 20’s wearing a red shirt and driving a blue sedan.  He has been involved in a domestic dispute and has abducted a 4 year old child.  He is considered to be armed and dangerous.”

At that moment a 27 year old black male headed to work driving a blue sedan crosses the intersection the police officer is sitting at. The man is dropping of his 4 year old son at the daycare around the corner before starting his day as an Asst. Manager at Target.

Now ask yourself the following questions.

1. What should the police officer do? 
2. How would you respond if you were the man headed to work?
3. How many different ways can this interaction go depending on either the young mans or the police officers actions?

1. He should do his job.
Preferably without brutalizing or killing anyone. 

2. Like I got pulled over by a cop who may suspect I am someone else? Ummm, what is the alternative? 

3. If the cop recognizes that there are more than one young fathers with blue cars and red shirts - that would help him do his job without screwing up the "interaction." 

Geez, I hope that's not too big a stretch to ask of our police force that I'm told would not benefit from any improvement whatsoever in vetting or training.

1.  Suspect is to be considered armed and dangerous.  How should he approach the vehicle?  Andy Griffith or gun drawn?

2.  Did you just get pulled over for driving while black or did you just get pulled over for fitting the description of someone who committed a crime?

3.  If the young man being pulled over realized there may be a reasonable explanation for him being pulled over besides him being black it might alter the interaction.

There is potential for both parties in this scenario to make this go sideways.  You appear to focus on only one side.  I posed the question so that perhaps we could all take a step back and consider the other side.

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