Dorothy Bland

The video suggests to me that she probably wasn't right about being profiled -- the cops earn the benefit of the doubt from me, because nothing in their demeanor OR how they they talked to her suggested they were doing anything except what they said they were doing. It was a bullshit misdemeanor, which would normally send my spidey senses tingling. But they were almost sheepish about the stop. And they explained themselves well to her and there was nothing abusive about how they dealt with her. In fact, they were pretty pleasant about it.

The saw a truck have trouble getting by her, trailed her for a few seconds and when they stopped, simply said, "You shouldn't be in the middle of the road. Get over to that side -- it's not just an obstructing traffic issue (i.e. the truck), it's for your safety." The whole thing was pleasant enough, including how she interacted with them. She can mischaracterize the interaction however she wants -- whether she honestly is having those imaginings or she is full of shit. But I don't see how anyone can watch that video and see a probable case of racial profiling. The reason she wasn't able to write a convincing piece is that the video paints a much different picture.

 

He doesn't know it. ... any more than he knew she was an "affirmative action hire," when he was doing his usual bigoted act.

They can't ask her for ID. ... unless they stopped her because they observed her breaking the law. I'd bet that even if they are going to let a person off with a warning because it is a BS misdemeanor. ... they always do that ID / check. They don't get too many opportunities to do it -- they need cause to do it (and she gave it to them). From their perspective, they never know when there might be an outstanding warrant. So if they have the chance, they run those checks. It is pretty standard police procedure that I will bet is pretty color blind.