When Traffic Stops Go Bad -- How Cops Demean Black and Brown Men

[rrneck]

77. Have you ever pulled a van over at night? In the role of a police officer?

Do you know the procedure for a traffic stop in Inglewood? I don't have a clue. If the officer saw something that might require a search of the van, which might include the affect of the occupants, he was justified in asking the driver to get out. Once having done that, the rest might have been mandatory. Like I said, I don't know.

We don't really know whether they had probable cause or not since we are only getting one side of the story. It would be helpful if whoever posted the OP would do research and find out, if possible, what was actually said or done in the course of the stop. Was the stop recorded? We don't know. What did Mr. Fellows actually say to the officer? We don't know. I gather Mr. Fellows is a fairly big wheel somewhere but I don't really care. The fact that he is an editor and publisher may mean that he is a stalwart pillar of the community, or an attention hound looking to boost his public profile and the circulation of his paper. I don't care either way because a one sided editorial in an online publication isn't worth the time to research who the guy is or what his motivations may be.

I saw a detail in the OP and and pointed it out. To wit: It is difficult to see inside a van at night and the officers may have had reason to ask the occupants to get out. Having done that, the rest of the procedure may have been compulsory. Again, I don't know. If they had no probable cause, they had no right to have anyone get out of the car and they were profiling the occupants. If they were being profiled, Mr. Fellows will have a good case against the officers. In fact he will have a better case than most people of color due to his social position.

But since we are on the subject of profiling, what makes you think I'm a secret conservative out to corrupt the purity of DemocraticUnderground? What argument are you making and what are you doing to support it? Why don't you dig up some links and let's see what you've got? Better yet, why don't you dash to Meta with your evidence and accuse me of affective nonconformity? Just try not to knock over any furniture in your haste to purge the rolls. Where is your probable cause? Support your accusation. Let's see what you've got. I'm not getting out of this fucking van until you produce some proof.