Reply #17: It's amazing how many people can't understand this simple concept...

[TreasonousBastard]

But you are correct-- race, ethnicity, and whether or not one is Hispanic are three separate things, and should not be confused.

Part of the problem, besides any illegal profiling by these Connecticut cops, is that all three are self-identified. The US Census doesn't apply a race or ethnicity to a respondant, it asks the respondant what he or she identifies with. (I personally know of one Census employee who was fired for: "Are you sure? You Don't look Japanese.") And the Census bureau has far more than your four racial categories, including such as Guamian, Hawaiian, several groups from the Indian subcontinent... And it is constantly confounded by confusion among Hispanics themselves over how to answer the questions.

So, yeah, one might assume that Juan Gonzales with a heavy Spanish accent is Hispanic, but unless you ask him what he is it doesn't count. And going over the tickets looking for Spanish names is inherently flawed for the same reason, although it could show a trend to be investigated more thoroughly.

Now, this has nothing to do with whether or not the cops are deliberately pulling over darker-skinned drivers, who just happen to be largely Hispanic. And who they check off as White if there's such a place on the ticket.