A crime was committed. Have you seen a black man?

"Hey maaaan, what you in for?"

"WWH."

"WWH? What's that?"

"Walking While Hispanic."

 

THIS IS OURRRR COUNTREEEE!!!!

 

When giving a description of a suspect, it is quite common to give as much information as one has available. That can include race, gender, height, weight, clothing, tattoos or other distinguishing features, etc. Nothing unusual at all about that.

Would it be any different if the dispatcher had said "white male" instead of black?

Some people just go looking for a reason to get offended where there is none.

 

Wonder if the "suspicious activity" in question was voting?

 

But this had so little info it becomes useless. It isn't "African-American male, 5-8, 175 lbs., seen near Fifth and Oak and 11:30 p.m. Friday." This is any black male in the county ever. How would Dep. Morgan actually get any useful tips from that? He wouldn't.
The Update on CJR has it being a photo that the deputy dropped off that was somehow omitted from the paper.

 

What makes it bad is "involved in some suspicious activity."

 

Eh, you report what you have. If you don't know exactly what someone did, "suspicious activity" is a catch-all. If I see someone in an unusual place at an unusual time, it's considered suspicious. If it happens to be a minority in a place where there are not many minorities, it becomes even more suspicious. Common sense.

I remember the story on Dateline of a high school principal in Arkansas who moved into a new house in a rather upscale neighborhood. One of the neighbors called police, wondering what a black person was doing there. The officers questioned him and he said "I live here". The person who complained was told the man had just moved into a new house in the area. Response: "that's even worse."

 

Notice no indication is given that the black male is suspected of doing anything.

But be on the lookout anyway.

 

My favorite police scanner moment ever was:

"Attention all (Podunk) Fahr Fahghters: Ain't no fahr! Ain't no fahr! Just somebody burnin' some tahrs."

 

And you wonder why so many think so little about West Virginia?

 

to be fair, African American males make up only 1.7% of the population of West Virginia and about 1.8% of the population of Monongolia County. Conservatively half of that population pool is either too young to be considered a man or too old to be wanted by the police.

In a county of approx 100,332 thousand people (2012 census), the police have narrowed it down to just under 1,000.

 

Shocking that you consider an out-of-place minority to be suspicious. I can only assume you were in fact the Arkansas neighbor.