Bob Herbert: "Arrested While Grieving." More harrassment of blacks by NYPD

[muntrv]

By BOB HERBERT
Published: May 26, 2007
No one is paying much attention, but parts of New York City are like a police state for young men, women and children who happen to be black or Hispanic. They are routinely stopped, searched, harassed, intimidated, humiliated and, in many cases, arrested for no good reason.

Most black elected officials have joined their white colleagues and the media in turning a blind eye to this continuing outrage. And many black cops have joined their white colleagues in the systematic mistreatment.

Last Monday in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, about three dozen grieving young people on their way to a wake for a teenage friend who had been murdered were surrounded by the police, cursed at, handcuffed and ordered into paddy wagons. They were taken to the 83rd precinct stationhouse, where several were thrown into jail.




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http://select.nytimes.com/2007/05/26/opinion/26herbert.html?th&emc=th

[Miss Chybil]

1. Sounds like the Cheney Method of winning friends and influencing people.

I guess it's been a long time since the last riot, eh?

[annabanana]

2. Bloomberg, Guiliani with a smooth face.... . .n/t

[pnwmom]

3. Is this the kind of police state Guiliani would bring to the rest of the U.S.?

The kind where a peaceful group of kids can't even go to a wake?

[bamacrat]

4. At least they werent gunned down for being black..

like that one guy was just before his wedding. I think something like 40 rounds were fired into his car, and no one in the car had a gun.

[ariesgem]

5. ....

"Most black elected officials have joined their white colleagues and the media in turning a blind eye to this continuing outrage. And many black cops have joined their white colleagues in the systematic mistreatment."



The cops, politicians & media seem to forget recent history. By continuing to ignore this is validating police abuse, allowing it to become the norm and telling a community that they do not matter. This is the recipe for rioting. All it takes to set it off is one hot summer, one more incident of police abuse and the simmering anger of a community with no place to turn. These elected officials need to get off their behinds and address this issue NOW.

[butterfly77]

6. This country is being destroyed within..

and Bush,cheney and the republicons are the ringleaders...Why should we worry about the terrorists?