Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Race Card?

I feel like it is incredibly silly of me to be writing an idea about racial profiling or any sort of racial injustice. I know next to nothing about it except that say that it seems very real and very wrong. So here despite all it's faults is an idea (which I realize is asking a corrupt system to police a corrupt system which is silly, but here we go anyways):

Someone gets pulled over. Doesn't get a ticket, but gets sort of harassed, maybe just by being pulled over for no reason, maybe something worse, but obviously nothing extreme (that would have to go a more serious route for sure). And then there is an easy way to file a complaint. Something really simple and asking for much. Just notes the instance, the cop involved, the area and that sort of data. And then compares it to the police record of the same pull over. If there isn't any ticket and it meets whatever criteria they've set there could be some sort of mark. Both against the officer and for the person being profiled.

Now I'm not sure what else this might get you other than much better statistical data about the occurrence of these events, maybe even discrediting cops who tend to be more inclined to such behaviors. And then if the person being pulled over has enough of these marks on their record, if something ever does it brought against them, they will at least have this evidence to help stand behind them to say that they're being treated unfairly.

And then at least there is some sort of paper trail. Even if it isn't solid to start. Maybe it could be a start.

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