Nation: Blacks, Latinos Blast Police Harassment
courtesy of Hot104.com

San Jose, CA - A racially diverse crowd of more than 100 people, mostly Latino and black, aired their complaints Tuesday evening at a San Jose town hall meeting organized by advocates against ``racial profiling'' -- an alleged practice in which law enforcement officers pull over minority drivers for minor infractions in hopes of finding evidence of more serious crimes.

``People of color have complained for decades, and nothing has been done to solve this problem,'' said Michelle Alexander, shouting from a podium under a large banner that read, ``Driving while black/brown is not a crime.''

The meeting, the first of eight to be held statewide, was organized by the Racial Justice Coalition, a group of more than 10 civil rights organizations formed after Gov. Gray Davis vetoed a measure that would have required that police agencies track the race of drivers pulled over for traffic stops.

Coalition members include the American Civil Liberties Union, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Asian Law Caucus and the League of United Latin American Citizens.

The issue of racial profiling has received increased national attention as black and Latino motorists become more vocal in their complaints to local officials.

The San Jose Police Department last year became the first law enforcement agency in California to track the race of drivers stopped by its officers. The department found that officers stopped black and Latino drivers at far higher rates than it did whites and Asian-Americans -- but Chief Bill Lansdowne denied that the information suggested his officers are targeting minority drivers.

A number of other Bay Area police departments also are conducting studies.

Several speakers at the town hall meeting told of being stopped, they said, because of the color of their skin.

Shareef Allman, 38, described how he was harassed in the parking lot of De Anza College in Cupertino, accused by a police officer of being a drug dealer on a day when he wore lots of jewelry and a sweatshirt.

Alberto Chavez recalled three occasions when he was stopped unnecessarily, including a time when he was riding his bicycle and encountered a police officer disguised as a prostitute who Chavez said solicited him. But Chavez was arrested because the officer said he solicited her. Chavez, whose case is pending in court, said that an audio tape his attorney obtained from police will prove he's innocent.

``We don't need to have police officers as our enemies,'' Chavez said.

Several law enforcement officers and their superiors were in attendance, but were not invited to speak. Some applauded after hearing certain testimonies.

Similar forums will be held over the next few weeks in Monterey, East Palo Alto, Stockton, Sacramento and Fresno, as new legislation, to require police departments to track the race of drivers stopped, works its way throughout the state Senate.

Alexander, the director of Racial Justice Coalition, urged the audience to support the bill, and to let the governor know the significance of the measure. The coalition, she said, is raising money to pay for buses to transport people from throughout California to a demonstration in Sacramento on April 27.