A Discussion of Race at City Hall, San Diego PD Releases Stop Data for 2014

[sheshe2]

By nadinabbott on February 25, 2015 •



Photos Tom and Nadin Abbott

Video Tom Abbott

“Racial profiling, it exists. Data is saying that it exists.” Councilmember Myrtle Cole

While raw numbers indicate that more whites than any other minority group were stopped, when one looks at what is the percentage of the population it is clear that both black and Hispanic are unduly affected. We asked Chief Zimmerman if the possible answer was partly what minorities say is over policing. The chief avoided the question and never answered it.

Mark Jones of the Black Justice Student Coalition (BJSC) told committee members. “We have a racial profiling issue. It’s here. The data shows that the problem exists.” He added, “although we as the community and the police department are reaching out to make the relations better, we still have the problem when it comes to African American Communities and minorities and racial profiling.”

He was not the only one.

Among the speakers was Aaron Harvey, who told the Council that San Diego PD targeted him for merely living in his neighborhood. He was deemed to be a gang member, even though he is not. He also said that he is facing possible life in prison under Prop 21, which changed the Criminal Code and allows prosecution of gang members, or presumed gang members, for crimes they did not commit, or had knowledge off. We are including the video of his full testimony.

We think his words do far more justice to the issue, than we ever could. So here is the full video.

Catherine Mendonca not only mentioned this data, but added street stops, what she called “walking while brown and walking while black.” She asked for the pedestrian stop data, “it is undeniable that racial profiling does occur with that.”

Mendonca highlighted curfew sweeps, which violate the rights of both minors and parents to raise their children. These sweeps are not productive, according to Mendonca, and give police the right to detain children without cause and put them into the system.

The Data and More at the link: http://reportingsandiego.com/2015/02/25/a-discussion-of-race-at-city-hall-san-diego-pd-releases-stop-data-for-2014/

[randys1]

1. Good, we need more of this everywhere it is tolerated.

This discussion wont be tolerated in certain counties in California and Alabama and elsewhere, but everywhere it is tolerated we need to do it.