EYEWITNESS REPORT: “A REAL TEST OF THIS GENERATION” IN FLORIDA
TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2012 AT 11:42PMThe case of Trayvon Martin may become a turning point in America’s debate over racial profiling, stop-and-frisk policing, and prison time for millions of young people of color since the neo-con crusade against “super-predators” began two decades ago. But first there will be a major pushback from advocates of hard-line law-and-order tactics.
This week, the Los Angeles Police Department disciplined an officer for racial profiling for the first time after a decade of complaints from the ACLU. Two years ago, civil rights lawyer Robert Garcia and I asserted that a pattern and practice of unconstitutional stop-and-frisk tactics exists in LA’s inner city neighborhoods. Stops by LAPD officers rose from 587,200 to 875,200 between 2002 and 20008. (Garcia/Hayden, December 17, 2010) The LAPD’s recent action is unlikely to