Black State Senator Claims Racial Profiling by Chicago Police Officer
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB9HJ6D7BE.html
CHICAGO (AP) - A black state senator said he was the victim of racial
profiling when a white officer pulled his car over and waved a gun in his face.
Sen. James Meeks, who is also a minister, said the confrontation happened
Wednesday night when his driver was taking him, his wife and his son home
from the 10,000-seat House of Hope Church, where he is pastor.
Meeks said the officer pulled over their vehicle after they passed his
police car stopped in the middle of a street. When Meeks got out of the
car, the officer allegedly pulled out his gun and repeatedly yelled at
Meeks to get back inside his vehicle.
"If this is the way a respected clergyman, the pastor of the largest church
in Illinois, a state senator and the chair of the Illinois Black Caucus
is treated, I know the average young black person on the street doesn't
stand a chance," Meeks said in a statement.
The officer issued four tickets, including one for failure to stop at a
stop sign and another for an unfastened seat belt, the senator said.
Department spokesman Dave Bayless said Friday that no action had been taken
by the department against the 34-year-old sergeant, whose name was not
released. He said the 10-year veteran remained on duty pending the outcome
of an internal investigation.
Mayor Richard Daley promised a thorough investigation.
"The kind of behavior Rev. Meeks described is not only appalling and
unacceptable, it is an embarrassment to all of us who have worked hard
to bring people together for the common good of a great city,"
Daley said in a statement.
The mayor also said he set up a meeting next week between police,
religious and community leaders.
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and other black lawmakers called Friday for the
sergeant to be removed from duty until an investigation is complete.
They also asked for new police department policies, such as keeping
guns holstered during routine traffic stops and increasing training
for officers who patrol minority communities.
Meeks runs as an independent but mostly aligns with the Democrats.
His claims come just weeks after a review of thousands of traffic stops
by the Illinois Department of Transportation, which found that minority
drivers were more likely than white drivers to be pulled over and to
get tickets.
In Chicago, police stopped black drivers at a rate 27 percent above
their numbers in the city's driving population, according to the survey.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich wants a task force to analyze the data and come up
with recommendations. Jackson said the governor had asked Meeks to be
part of the group before Wednesday's incident.
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Stupid white men.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/books-films/stupidwhitemen/onlinechapters/part01.php
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