The Racial Profiling Forum, or dog and pony show?

Riverside Police Department

and

Human Relations Commission

PRESENT:

2004 Traffic Stop Study Special Public Forum

Wednesday, July 20

at

6 PM

at

The Main Branch of the Public Library

The intent of this forum is to discuss the 2004 Traffic Stop Study prepared by Larry K. Gaines, PhD at California State University, San Bernardino, Department of Criminal Justice

The report is an analysis of traffic stop data in the City of Riverside. The Riverside Police Department continues to collect and analyze its traffic stop data to determine if any patterns emerge that point to racial profiling.

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Is it racial profiling, or Criminal profiling?

Okay, this is an age-old question in my town, when it comes to defining the reasons behind the tendacies of police officers to focus their attention on Black and Hispanic motorists. And this latest "special forum" by our city's buffer commission is supposed to put this complex issue into terms of black and white for all of us

I'm asking the above question, because according to Gates who is mentioned in this flier as the author of the RPD's traffic stop studies, RPD cops only perform pretext stops on criminals. But if the release rates are well over 50% for Black motorists, and the hits from searches on Black motorists is so low(<10%),>Some like former city councilman Alex Clifford say, that there is no such thing as "driving while Black" because actually it's "driving while criminal". Ameal Moore, the only Black council member became really upset at Clifford's words. He wasn't the only one.

Also appearing will be Chief Russ Leach, who will represent his department, and will most likely back up whatever Gates says.

Absent from the podium will be the professor who conducted the OTHER research study on the RPD, in 2000. Dr. Robert Nash Parker, from UCR's Robert Presley Center, though he has been invited to come as a member of the public.

TO BE CONTINUED...