Sometimes "Racial Profiling" Is Just Traffic Violation Profiling
It's easy to go all "J'accuse!" on the cops -- especially because there is quite a bit of racial profiling that goes on. But the video in this case told the story -- that actress Taraji Henson's son was stopped for a reason, and it wasn't the color of his skin but the color of his driving.
Veronica Rocha writes for the LA Times:
"Empire" actress Taraji P. Henson apologized for alleging that Glendale police racially profiled her son during a traffic stop after a video obtained by the Los Angeles Times cast doubt about whether police had improperly targeted him.Just hours after a 40-minute video showing an encounter between Glendale police and Henson's son went viral, the "Empire" actress apologized for accusing officers of racial profiling.
"I would like to publicly apologize to the officer and the Glendale Police Department," she said in an Instagram message with the hashtag #TurningANegativeIntoAPositive #LoveTarajiPHenson. "A mother's job is not easy and neither is a police officer's. Sometimes as humans we overreact without gathering all the facts. As a mother in this case, I overreacted and for that I apologize. Thank you to that officer for being kind to my son."
Her son ran a crosswalk as someone was crossing -- illegal under California traffic laws.
His race was not apparent in the video as he was driving.The officer, still behind the 20-year-old, speeds up and initiates a traffic stop.
In the video, the officer approaches Henson's son's Honda and tells him he was stopped for driving through a lighted crosswalk while someone was walking in it. The youth tells the officer he was headed to a friend's home in Calabasas.
...Then the officer asked whether he had anything illegal in his car, and the young man responded that he had marijuana in his backpack, according to the video. He told the officer he has a state-issued medical marijuana license but couldn't find it.
"I appreciate you being honest with me about the weed. I do appreciate that because I do smell weed," the officer said.
During the lengthy traffic stop shown on the video, Johnson was searched and told the officer he had Ritalin, a prescription drug used to treat hyperactivity, in his car. He admitted he didn't have a prescription and that he had gotten the pill from a friend.
"You know you're not supposed to have that, right?" the officer told him.
Johnson then consented and allowed the officer to search his car. At that point, the officer was joined by two other officers and a police cadet.
And if anything, the police officer bent over backwards to not throw the book at him.
via @VPostrel
Good apology but I doubt if anyone's opinion about police behavior towards non-whites changes. Esp. w/the MSM accepting Al Sharpton as a credible "spokesperson".
I do believe that we need to use technology and insist on non-emotional responses/least violent responses by all parties.
I'm a "one-shot one-kill" or hunter's mentality so to me SWAT banging down a door is as much an over-reaction as this mother's and the "Hands Up" crowd.
A sniper with a trank gun for non-violent arrests (heavier calibers if confronting violent situations) would be much more effective, less prone to judgement errors, easier to defend if something goes wrong.
Bob in Texas at March 28, 2015 7:03 AM
Nice apology by Ms. Henson.
Here's another apology -- or, more specifically, an admission of error -- I read a short time ago by Washington Post opinion writer Jonathan Capehart: ‘Hands up, don’t shoot’ was built on a lie"
JD at March 28, 2015 9:34 AM
Sheezus... Honda, weed, speed... Wish Mom had knocked out a film or two back in the day...
Crid [CridComment at Gmail] at March 28, 2015 10:54 AM
Why is he driving a Honda? What are we in the year 2000?
Ppen at March 28, 2015 11:05 AM
I'm not too sure about CA; but, in NJ a moving violation would have cost him a lot; not just in the fine, but in hundreds if not thousands of increased insurance premiums over the next few years - so, that cop did him a BIG favor.
And, the apology might be one way to say thanks for saving us money; but, it could also be because she doesn't want the next cop to remember what a jerk she was.
Or, maybe she just is a decent person who owns her mistakes; and for that she deserves a kudos.
And yea, that cop could have thrown the book at him.
charles at March 28, 2015 2:10 PM
To me, Ms. Henson's apology struck the perfect chord.
I guess I'm not the only one.
Yeah, that.
Jeff Guinn at March 28, 2015 11:42 PM
Let's not forget that her son was polite to the officer during the stop. That goes a long way toward someone not getting a ticket.
Conan the Grammarian at March 29, 2015 11:45 AM
I'm encouraged to hear things like this because an important part of solving all these problems is separating the wheat from the chaff. People aren't going to accept a cause as just until the ones promoting it can show that they have the facts to back it up. There are in fact examples of police brutality and profiling. There are also false accusations, often by people who either want special privileges or want to distract attention from their own misdeeds. Don't base a cause on lies -- eventually, people will find out and the cause, even if it is worthwhile in the larger context, will be discredited.
Cousin Dave at March 30, 2015 9:06 AM
Leave a comment