The Horrible Racism Of Police Politely And Somewhat Apologetically Enforcing The Law
A Princeton University professor, Imani Perry, was arrested (instead of being sent off with cookies and flowers) when police discovered that there was a warrant out for her arrest.
Naturally, she deemed this a sign that the police discriminate against black people, not that they are tasked with enforcing the law.
New Jersey state law, per the story in the Daily Mail by Chris Pleasance:
Section 39:4-139.10 of title 39 of the 2013 New Jersey Revised Statutes state that the penalties for not paying parking tickets include suspension of the driver's license or the registration of the vehicle.Section 39:4-139.10a of the same statute states that if the court fails to issue an arrest warrant for the individual in question or order a suspension of driving privileges for the individual, the matter will be dismissed and not reopened.
And, for the record, I don't think parking tickets or unpaid debt should lead to arrest -- as it does in LA of homeless people with jaywalking tickets they can't pay -- but the cops don't make the laws.
Dashcam video below shows that New Jersey cops were extremely polite -- almost to the point of being apologetic -- in having to follow the law and arrest Perry, who'd let her license remain suspended for three years (in the wake of an unpaid parking ticket). (They'd initially pulled her over for speeding, but found there was a warrant out for her arrest.)
More from the Daily Mail story:
Imani Perry, and African American studies professor, said she was left 'humiliated and frightened' after being handcuffed and searched during a traffic stop on February 6.Perry said police denied her a phone call before she was arrested, that a male officer searched her despite a female officer being present, and that she was handcuffed while being taken to the police station and cuffed to a desk after arriving.
Footage of the incident shows that Perry was handcuffed during her arrest, though the officer is at pains to point out that it is simply a matter of protocol.
The video also shows that Perry was denied a phone call prior to her arrest - though again the officer explains that, once at the station, she can 'make as many phone calls as you want'.
I guess she felt her special snowflakehood should have had her just waved on her way.
Here's one of the videos. Check out how polite and solicitous these officers were:
She posted a Facebook rant about this, which the Daily Mail story reported on:
'Yesterday, on my way to work, I was arrested in Princeton Township for a single parking ticket three years ago,' she said in the statement. 'The police refused to allow me to make a call before my arrest, so that someone would know where I was.'There was a male and a female officer, but the male officer did the body search before cuffing me and putting me in the squad car. I was handcuffed to a table at the station.
'At any rate, I was afraid. Many women who look like me have a much more frightening end to such arrests.'But the larger point is that I'm working to move from being shaken to renewing my commitment to the struggle against racism & carcerality.'
In a later statement, issued through Facebook, she added: 'I hope against hope that the attention my story has received, and the fact that many people will give me the benefit of the doubt because of my profession, my small build, my attachment to elite universities, and because prominent people will vouch for my integrity and responsibility, can be converted into something more important.
'I hope that this circle of attention will be part of a deeper reckoning with how and why police officers behave the way they do, especially towards those of us whose flesh is dark.'
Especially toward those of us who think we can just let stuff slide without repercussions and then cry that it's about racial hatred.
Poor black women certainly seem the targets of nasty cop racism. But if you notice the only ones ever speaking out as being targeted seem to be middle class black academics with cushy jobs and a solidly upper middle class life so it kinda ruins the whole message.
Anyways remember that cop going around raping poor black women and he only got caught because one happened to be middle class?
Ppen at February 13, 2016 12:24 AM
You know if she had the smarts of a professor she would ask for help in reviewing arrest statistics to see if there is an unequal application of the law to women of color.
(I know I know, Princeton, yeah I know.)
OBVIOUSLY she was picked on due to her race.
(Came up w/a new tag for women like her, HRC, etc. We HAVE to believe them BECAUSE SHE SAID SO or BS^3 which is BSSS simplified.)
Bob in Texas at February 13, 2016 5:52 AM
End Black privilege!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7NTXnUMpGs
An "open forum" but the media is asked to leave!
All this "I'm a victim of racist whites" will only end when more and more folks condemn them for their lies.
charles at February 13, 2016 6:18 AM
"Anyways remember that cop going around raping poor black women and he only got caught because one happened to be middle class?"
I believe there is a good deal of awful treatment that goes on to the poor and powerless -- of all races -- and I know there is racism against blacks, and it's disgusting.
However, I was struck by how the police in this video were almost cartoonishly polite, apologetic, and solicitous. To accuse them of some sort of racist act in pulling her over...I watched the first video...they saw her speeding (probably caught her on their radar gun) and were on the other side of the road and turned around. They were out to catch speeders, not black people. And the officer, seeing that she was some middle-class lady, and apparently learning that she was a professor, seemed really not to like to have to do any of this to her (enforce the law). If anything, I see this as an example of how a black lady was treated as my white, 78-year-old suburban mother would be if she had warrants out.
Amy Alkon at February 13, 2016 6:24 AM
A few years back, while driving my car I was rear ended by a Spanish speaking individual of color. The individual did not have a driver's license, but had an Oregon state issued ID. (This is photo ID issued by Oregon Motor Vehicles that is essentially identical to a driver's license, but has no driving privileges.)
In that the individual lacked a driver's license I called law enforcement. A Deputy Sheriff responded. Mid way through the process of the paperwork he said he had to go, and that there was no point in issuing a citation to the individual because he would never pay it or appear in court.
I actually understood, because having been a municipal prosecutor, I knew from experience that he was probably right. At least there would be a police report. Also, the individual was driving a car owned by somebody else, and the owner surprisingly had insurance. I suspect a factor in the deputies decision.
I was still resentful, because I knew if I had been driving without a license I would have gotten a ticket, and would have been forced to pay the ticket. I know, because I was the guy that use to take action to enforce payment of the ticket.
Point is, we hear about all the "abuses" by law enforcement of people of color (an offensive label, because, while I am "white," I do have skin pigmentation) we will never hear of the cases where law enforcement has given a pass to individuals because they are a person of color. Nobody will ever gather statistics on that.
Check your "minority" privilege, before claiming victim status.
Bill O Rights at February 13, 2016 6:59 AM
"You know if she had the smarts of a professor she would ask for help in reviewing arrest statistics to see if there is an unequal application of the law to women of color."
Well let's check the statistics:
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2015/jun/01/the-counted-police-killings-us-database#
So far 117 people killed by police.
55 were white male,
1 was a black female.
Looking at as a % of population.
wm approx 120 mil.
bf approx 20 mil.
gives a ratio that white men are about 9 times more likely to be killed by police than black females.
Joe J at February 13, 2016 7:15 AM
Tremendous and pervasive dishonesty abounds all around cases like this - but not on the part of the cops this time.
Radwaste at February 13, 2016 7:51 AM
I was at a party years ago at which a majority of the partygoers were African-American. An incident had recently occurred in the city in which a black bicyclist was hit and killed by a white motorist.
Many at this party were decrying racism and calling for some sort of action in response. An older African-American man at the party spoke up and said "sometimes it's not racism; sometimes the white guy's just a bad driver." He seemed to command a certain amount of deference among the partygoers, as the talk quickly turned to more innocuous subjects.
I always think of him whenever I see Cedric the Entertainer's character in Barber Shop.
Conan the Grammarian at February 13, 2016 8:22 AM
They'd initially pulled her over for speeding, but found there was a warrant out for her arrest.
Well, yeah, that's the easiest way of all to get arrested. Did anyone claim she was pulled over simply for "driving while black"?
Sounds like an ID10T problem...if she'd have, oh, I dunno, obeyed the speed limit she likely would not have been pulled, and correspondingly, not arrested.
Of course, that's a problem with uber educated people: they can get a PhD but don't got the sense God gave a door knob.
I R A Darth Aggie at February 13, 2016 8:51 AM
Or if she'd originally paid the damned parking ticket.
Conan the Grammarian at February 13, 2016 8:56 AM
Bill he wasnt given a pass because he was a minority. He was given a pass because he was most likely an illegal immigrant and it was just not worth the hassle. Im sure if we had a Polish illegal immigrant problem cop would have done the same (its exactly how it goes in the UK). If I had rammed your car I would have suffered the same consequences as a white guy. Or maybe I wouldnt have but thats more to do with the leniency given to middle class women.
I am kinda tired of both sides crying over racism.
"Minority priveledge" has never beem a significant contributor in my life. However I can freely admit I probably get treated way better than black people. And its not just white people that assume blacks are inferior but all other races do so as well. It is a nastiness and ugliness I just dont see happening to other races. There isnt a governmental way to fix it and I dont personally feel respinsible but certainly its something I have observed over the years. There is merit when black people say they are unfairly targeted, its just that the self appointed spokemen tend to go about discussing the issue the wrong way.
ppen at February 13, 2016 8:59 AM
Damn lefties are always whinging about serving up social justice to the elites then they complain when they get it.
We shouldn't bother trying to please these people.
Canvasback at February 13, 2016 9:06 AM
"And its not just white people that assume blacks are inferior but all other races do so as well. It is a nastiness and ugliness I just dont see happening to other races."
What makes you think that all races are actually equal?
Decades of frantic and expensive pandering by Americans has totally failed to give American blacks equality - probably because equality is earned, not given - but pretending or hating yourself or a third party because of what someone else will not or cannot do is just insane.
"What if blacks don't succeed because they can't succeed? On every known test of intellectual capacity, blacks score about a standard deviation below whites. While they can't be blamed for this, as neither can whites, in a technoindustrial society those fifteen IQ points are a killer, absolute death. The difference is altogether enough to account for the inability of blacks to progress despite almost frantic efforts by whites to jump-start them."
And this is despite there being more diversity on the African continent than power-mongers in the USA will admit. This is despite widespread acknowledgement that heredity and environment BOTH determine the likelihood of a child's success.
There has to be equality before the law for the legal system to work. Treating individuals is the way to guarantee opportunity commensurate with their abilities. Neither of these sets aside observations of ANY group as a class.
Radwaste at February 13, 2016 11:26 AM
Ppen, of course he was given a pass for being a minority. Neither the Deputy or I had any proof that he was an illegal alien. He could have been a resident alien with a green card. He could have been a citizen. Many citizens speak only Spanish. If you can't afford your own car, he would be unlikely to have a driver's license.
As I said I understood why the Deputy did what he did.
Bill O Rights at February 13, 2016 11:38 AM
Clearly I think all races are equal because I'm a bleeding heart liberal brainwashed by American propaganda. Why can't I just accept the inherent intellectual inferiority of blacks and finally accept I am nothing more than the white mans burden?
Maybe ultimately the best predictor of success is a loving mother married to a loving father? Perhaps what we've come to discover is that we are nothing more than inbred monkeys and that's it's modern food supplies and freedom from parasites that account for an ever increasing IQ all across the board.
Ah what the hell do I know. I need to become a race realist and totally ignore the existence of Nigerian Americans.
Ppen at February 13, 2016 4:23 PM
Bill if he had been given a pass for being a minority Hispanic me would have been given the same pass for ramming your car. The copper had enough experience to know this guy was probabbly here illegally and not worth the hassle. The UK has a Polish illegal immigrant problem and I remember reading news stories of cops doing the exact same thing...just letting them go.
Nothing to do with being a minority. Youre kinda using the same logic as the lady in the story.
ppen at February 13, 2016 4:54 PM
"And its not just white people that assume blacks are inferior but all other races do so as well. "
When I lived in South Florida, there were a lot of Caribbean blacks around. They were generally well educated, well spoken and thoroughly middle class. And they tended to regard American blacks as inferior.
"reviewing arrest statistics to see if there is an unequal application of the law to women of color."
That would involve math, which as everyone knows is a dead-white-men tool of oppression.
Cousin Dave at February 13, 2016 6:17 PM
"Clearly I think all races are equal because I'm a bleeding heart liberal brainwashed by American propaganda."
So, actually, you don't have anything on which to base your opinion?
Radwaste at February 14, 2016 2:38 AM
I met a guy from East Africa at a party once who owned several convenience stores. He had the same attitude, telling he won't hire American black people, preferring immigrants who he described as more willing to work hard.
He also marveled that everyone in America self describes as "middle class."
Conan the Grammarian at February 14, 2016 5:26 AM
Whereas in England, as more than one English writer has noted, it's OK to be upper- or working-class, but NOT middle-class! That would be seen as embarrassing.
lenona at February 15, 2016 4:08 PM
What a racket. If you're black you can do anything you want regardless of how illegal or crappy. And defend yourself with the shroud of accusations of Racism.
Look at how well it works for Mr. Obama!
Alan at February 18, 2016 8:15 AM
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