Racial Profiling and Me

Black and white and gray areas

By Kelvin Wade | | January 22, 2009 16:33

At the inauguration of President Barack Obama there were people in the crowd holding signs that read, 'Yes We Did!' and 'We Have Overcome!' According to a CNN/Opinion Research Poll released this week, 69 percent of blacks say Martin Luther King's dream of racial equality has been fulfilled, double the number who believed that a year ago.

But racial attitudes and fears die hard.

Recently, I was going to visit a friend. There was no one else out in the apartment complex. Straight ahead about 50 yards away approaching me were three black teenagers. I was concerned.

Now big guys like me don't usually worry about our safety when in public. Usually I'm the one who causes little old ladies to hit the door locks on their car as I walk by.

I don't begrudge people for being afraid of me if they don't know me.

Still, in this scenario, I was the one concerned. I was carrying my wallet with my ATM card and some credit cards, a laptop computer in an obvious laptop case, and another smaller case holding a digital camera and my Apple iPhone.

I stepped off the walkway to follow a trail to my friend's apartment before crossing paths with the teens. They walked on past behind me, with me trying to keep them in my peripheral vision.

It was at that moment I caught some of their conversation. Were they discussing the finer points of jacking someone? Not quite. Was their language directed at me and full of menace and profanity? Hardly.

In fact, they seemed to barely notice me. But I did notice what they were talking about. They were discussing the United States Supreme Court in general and the Marbury vs. Madison case in particular.

What overhearing this conversation affirmed to me was that I'd quickly categorized them as a potential threat when there had been nothing threatening about their gestures, their walk, clothing or their language. I'd simply saw three black kids, noted I was alone and became suspicious.

I could justify most of it. According to FBI statistics, most crime is intrarracial not interracial. Statistically, a black is more likely to be assaulted by another black.

The fact that there were three of them and I was alone would naturally get my attention.

I was carrying more than $1,200 worth of tech toys and I'm sure that made me feel vulnerable. A reasonable person in my position would probably have reacted the same way given those facts.

But the troubling question I asked myself later was this: Would I have been equally suspicious and cautious if the teens had been white? I don't think so. I think I would've figured I could intimidate them. That centuries old racial fear of blacks would've perhaps worked in my favor in that scenario.

So what does it all mean, if it means anything at all? I don't know but I don't think I'll ever forget it. Peace.

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I chose a rather whimsical picture for a not so funny column to help lighten the load. It's a serious topic but I don't really know the import of it. I wanted to tell my story because when you tell someone else's story, it distances you from the problem. I wanted to show that these attitudes and suspicions are common place. I also wanted to flip the script. If you know the column is about racial profiling or racial attitudes, one is expecting it to be about white attitudes towards blacks. I think this turns the equation on its head and brings to light the fact that we all have suspicions and prejudices.

Here's the thing: I'm not necessarily saying it's a bad thing. Race is just a descriptive factor and when used in proper context I see nothing wrong with it. If you were an FBI agent investigate the Mafia, you'd go to Little Italy, not Harlem. If you were in San Francisco investigating the Yakuza, your travels would probably take you to Japantown, not Hunter's Point. And if you wanted to prevent airplanes from being hijacked by Al Qaeda, focusing on elderly caucasian women is probably not the best place to start.

So if you're in East Oakland late at night and four young black men are walking towards me, it's not racist to be afraid. You're using all the available information you have: It's night. You're in a high crime area. Most crimes in that area are committed by young black men.

Just like if you're in East L.A. late at night and there were a group of young Latino men approaching, it would be normal and correct to be on guard.

But what happens when we export that fear and suspicion to other times and places. A supermarket. A city park in broad daylight. What happens when race becomes the only factor in your fear? What then?

Like I said in the column, I think being on guard in the scenario I was in was prudent. I was alone. I had a lot of valuables. I was outnumbered. But it was troubling to me that young white males would not have alarmed me. I still don't have all the answers.

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The Other Side DR blog captured a few thoughts on the week's historic event.