Is good to have the ACLU on your side

[SRW]

I live in a part of the country with lots of migrant farm workers,
and most of the time when I read or hear about a fatal accident the names are Hispanic. I also see lots of Hispanic people driving and riding in cars without seat belts.

So why is it racist to give these people tickets?
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Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for Hispanics ages 1 to 34, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Officials say they are focusing the money where the problem is.

``It's not profiling, it's targeting a specific population,'' Novak said.
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ACLU and profiling (http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/ap/ap_story.html/National/AP.V2384.AP-Hispanics-Seat-.html)

[Skeptic]

What is odd here is the semantics: "It's not profiling, it's targeting a specific population". Er, isn't "targeting a specific population" what "profiling" is?

It seems to me, by the way, that "profiling" can be good OR bad. "Profiling" women for breast cancer and not men is good profiling. This case seems to be a case of "good" profiling too--it adresses a real problem. Arresting a black male "just in case" when you hear of a robbery is bad profiling. But it depends, doesn't it?

[Skeptical Greg]

I'ts too funny... These people are whining because they are being 'profiled' in atempt to reduce a major cause of death in their ethnic group...
And we are talking about a $50,000 grant..

That ought to run out real soon, and they can go back to playing ' catapult your toddler through the windshield '....:rolleyes:

[Dancing David]

Where I live most traffic fatalities involve people living in small towns, I don't think people would approve of pulling over people who are from small towns just because they are from small towns.

I agree that 'profiling' may be a useful concept, I think that objection comes when the police pull over people who are not breaking the law because they belong to some identifiable group.

I live near a high school and would really like it if they would bust all the young kids who drive like maniacs. Doesn't mean it would be a good idea to pull over every young driver.

Also in my community, there are a disproportional number of ethnic african students who recieve discipline in the school system. This is being treated as racism, even though they have yet to discuss the issue of wether non-african americans get preferential discipline.

I do not always agree with the ACLU but I a real glad that they are there.

[Tmy]

Profilers are often wrong.

That serial killer in Louisiana, he was profiled to be a white guy. Now if thy were just checking the DNA of white criminals they wouldntve caught the dude.

Funny how the people who dont have a problem with profiling are the ones who are not being profiled.

[Michael Redman]

So law abiding Hispanics should be harrassed by the cops, just because other Hispanics drive bad? If you want to catch bad drivers, target bad drivers. Targeting any other group makes law enforcement less effective.

Not only is racial profiling unfair, it's bad police work.

[DialecticMaterialist]

Didn't the ACLU at one time consider suing scientific american for not hiring a creationist?

[SRW]

Originally posted by Michael Redman
So law abiding Hispanics should be harrassed by the cops, just because other Hispanics drive bad? If you want to catch bad drivers, target bad drivers. Targeting any other group makes law enforcement less effective.

Not only is racial profiling unfair, it's bad police work.


Much better to put up a checkpoint (that is what the article is about) in a non-hispanic area. So as not to harass hispanics. Why should the checkpoint be effective?

[Tmy]

Originally posted by DialecticMaterialist
Didn't the ACLU at one time consider suing scientific american for not hiring a creationist?

Maybe. Theyve represented a lot of groups, including the KKK.

Does that take away from the profiling case?

[Tmy]

The profile makes a rather racist assumption. That hispanics are not originally from America. That they are from other countries where seatbelts use is lower.

[Skeptical Greg]

Originally posted by Tmy
Profilers are often wrong.

That serial killer in Louisiana, he was profiled to be a white guy. Now if thy were just checking the DNA of white criminals they wouldntve caught the dude.

Funny how the people who dont have a problem with profiling are the ones who are not being profiled.



Urrrr... Uhhmmmm.. I don't think racial profiling is exactly like serial killer profiling...;)

[DialecticMaterialist]

This has nothing to do with the profiling case. They considered supporting Forrest M. Minns, because they felt firing a creationist was discrimination. To be fair though, they did drop the case and have since lead a strong campaign against creationism. Leading campaigns against creationism is exactly what the ACLU should be doing.

[Tmy]

Lets not forgetthis is america, freedom and all that junk. Random searches have been a sore spot since the colonial days. Personally Im bothered by road blocks in general.


"Better to let 100 guilty men go free than to chase after them." --Chief Wiggum

[Michael Redman]

Originally posted by SRW



Much better to put up a checkpoint (that is what the article is about) in a non-hispanic area. So as not to harass hispanics. Why should the checkpoint be effective? Better to stop people who are demonstrating dangerous driving habits. It's not like there's a shortage . . .