Obama Opposes Racial Profiling

[preservanation]

Obama Calls on Mukasey to Address Racial Discrimination, Protecting Civil Rights
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Printable FormatFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Amy Brundage, 202 228 5511

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today sent the following letter to Attorney General-Designate, Judge Michael Mukasey, asking him how he intends to protect the civil rights of all Americans if he is confirmed Attorney General. In recent years, there has been a systematic failure by the Department of Justice to exhibit any significant commitment to upholding civil rights – particularly in the cases of the photo identification requirement for voting in Georgia, the Jena 6 in Louisiana, the death of a young man at a boot camp in Florida, and concerns that minorities have been steered into high-cost subprime loans.

In the letter, Obama requests Mukasey’s commitment to enhancing voting rights, enforcing the Voting Rights Act, ending racial profiling, and reversing the politicization of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.

The text of the letter is below:http://obama.senate.gov/press/071017-obama_calls_on_18/
I will excerpt:

Dear Judge Mukasey:

I write to you at a moment in our nation’s history that is fraught with unprecedented legal challenges and constitutional questions – a moment that highlights the extraordinary importance of the position for which you have been nominated. By all accounts, your distinguished legal career reflects a commitment to our Constitution and the rule of law.

Unfortunately, this Administration – and your predecessors as Attorney General – have a poor track record in the area of investigating discrimination against racial minorities, while inexplicably focusing resources on a few, exceptional cases involving white victims. From attempts in Georgia to enact a voter identification requirement to the Jena 6 case in Louisiana to concerns that minorities have been steered into high-cost subprime loans, we have seen a systematic failure by the Department of Justice to exhibit any significant commitment to upholding civil rights.

At such a critical time in our nation’s history, we need an Attorney General determined to protect the rights of all Americans – in particular, those traditionally disadvantaged – and not someone who views his mission as serving as the President’s personal attorney. Since I am not a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I will not have the opportunity today to ask you questions about your views on civil rights.

For that reason, I ask that you provide responses to the following questions:

1) In recent years, the Department of Justice has demonstrated a clear preference for investigating isolated examples of voter fraud, rather than more widespread allegations of disenfranchisement of minority voters. As Attorney General, will you commit to a program of enforcement that is aimed at enhancing, rather than diminishing, the ability of racial and ethnic minorities to vote? Will you commit to applying the Voting Rights Act to challenge voter identification laws such as those attempted in Georgia and other states?

2) Will you commit to opening investigations and pursuing lawsuits against police departments that reveal a pattern or practice of police misconduct?

3) In recent months, our nation’s attention has been focused on the racial strife in Jena, Louisiana, and the disparate treatment of six African American youths. As Attorney General, will you commit the investigative resources of the Civil Rights Division to ensuring the fair treatment and execution of the law in cases such as the Jena 6, as well as the recent acquittal by an all-white jury of eight prison guards accused of killing a young black male at a juvenile detention center in Florida?

4) Several studies have found that black and Hispanic borrowers were more likely to be steered into high-cost subprime loans than other borrowers... In light of recent reports of stark racial disparities in the subprime lending market and the sharp drop in housing discrimination enforcement actions, what steps will you take to ensure that the nation's housing discrimination laws are vigorously enforced? Will you commit the Housing and Civil Enforcement Division to investigating whether the practices of the mortgage lending industry violate the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Fair Housing Act, or other federal antidiscrimination statutes?

5) Since then, less than half of new hires in the Division’s important Appellate, Employment Litigation, and Voting Sections have had any prior civil rights experience – and less than a quarter have had any prior experience enforcing the nation’s civil rights laws. The others, according to a Boston Globe analysis, “gained their experience either by defending employers against discrimination lawsuits or by fighting against race-conscious policies.” Will you pledge to restore professionalism and end the practice of politicized hires within the Civil Rights Division? What specific steps will you take to reverse these trends in hiring?

6) What is your opinion of the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act, which I introduced in January 2007 and which recently passed the Senate Judiciary Committee? Do you agree that this legislation is necessary?

I believe that with the proper leadership, the Department of Justice can reclaim its historical leadership role in fighting racial discrimination and ensuring equal protection under the law. I appreciate your attention to my questions, and I look forward to your response. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama
United States Senator
Enacting any and all of what he proposes will severely hamstring the ability for our law enforcement to prosecute crimes or defend our sovereignty.

This is Moore/Rosie/J. Fonda/Alan Alda sort of shiit.

[Elrathin]

LOL some conservatives love racial profiling it is what they do best and they have decades of experience.

[micfranklin]

Well to be fair I don't like racial profiling either.

[preservanation]

This will flood our already bloated legal system to bursting.
Every man, woman, and in-between will be suing on this basis.
What a nightmare.

Cops will refuse to pursue crimes for fear of law suits, and reprimands.
This is absolute insanity.
It's like he Wants to destroy things.

Let's say that Obama did want to damage our system, what would he be doing any differently?
Nothing, that's what.

[Buck Laser]

Racial profiling is stupid and counterproductive.

On the other hand, I wish we could find a way to screen for stupid.:nana:

[AnnEsthesia]

Hate to tell you, Preserva, but people already DO flood the system with complaints of racial profiling. We get at least a half dozen calls about it at work every single week.

[preservanation]

On the other hand, I wish we could find a way to screen for stupid.:nana:
It's just not fair that you attack poor mic like that...[hr]
Hate to tell you, Preserva, but people already DO flood the system with complaints of racial profiling. We get at least a half dozen calls about it at work every single week.
Super.
Thanks for ruining my day...:(

[AnnEsthesia]

It is my job and I do it well, P. ;)

[lily]

OMG.........He didn't!

A black man did not just ask the AG to try and put a stop to racial profiling??!!

You're right preservation.........Mukasey has more important things to do.....like duck questions. How dare Obama write him a letter asking him to do his job?!

I tell you, that's it. I'm officially outraged.

[preservanation]

It is my job and I do it well, P. ;)
This is an obvious example of "P-Profiling".
Guilty, guilty, guilty...

[AnnEsthesia]

Read my title and siggy dear P. It cannot come as a complete shock to you...

[preservanation]

And lily, my little fig,
I am against all anti-profiling legislation.

Yesterday it was Ted Kennedy, today Obama, tomorrow it could be Bush or more likely McCain.

I don't care who proposes it.
Stupid is stupid,
Wrong is wrong...

[lily]

And lily, my little fig,

A fig!? Yesterday I believe it was Pookie you called a peach and me you call a fig? That's pretty close to a prune and that my dear preservation is age profiling.......since my birthday is coming up!
I am against all anti-profiling legislation.

I'm curious why?

[Tharagor]

This will flood our already bloated legal system to bursting.
Every man, woman, and in-between will be suing on this basis.
What a nightmare.

Cops will refuse to pursue crimes for fear of law suits, and reprimands.
This is absolute insanity.
It's like he Wants to destroy things.

Let's say that Obama did want to damage our system, what would he be doing any differently?
Nothing, that's what.


So race should be a determinant? Is that what you're saying?

[Buck Laser]

Racial profiling is stupid and counterproductive.

On the other hand, I wish we could find a way to screen for stupid.:nana:


I see from using my Secret Squirrel magic glasses that screening for stupid doesn't always work on DF.:sadly:

[preservanation]

This will flood our already bloated legal system to bursting.
Every man, woman, and in-between will be suing on this basis.
What a nightmare.

Cops will refuse to pursue crimes for fear of law suits, and reprimands.
This is absolute insanity.
It's like he Wants to destroy things.

Let's say that Obama did want to damage our system, what would he be doing any differently?
Nothing, that's what.


So race should be a determinant? Is that what you're saying?
As to ones genetic makeup?
Yes, they go hand in hand.

[Elrathin]

As to ones genetic makeup?
Yes, they go hand in hand.


And are you saying criminal behavior is part of ones genetic makeup? If not, why should race be a determinant?

[preservanation]

As to ones genetic makeup?
Yes, they go hand in hand.


And are you saying criminal behavior is part of ones genetic makeup? If not, why should race be a determinant?
El, you ignored the question I was responding to.So race should be a determinant? Is that what you're saying?As to ones genetic makeup?
Yes, they go hand in hand.Just couldn't resist the temptation to call a conservative a racist, eh El?
You're like a dog with a piece of bacon.
Can't leave it alone...




I am against all anti-profiling legislation.

I'm curious why?
What is popularly termed racial profiling represents pre-judging, where policemen disproportionately stop black motoristsor pedestrians for identification, questioning and contraband searches. We might ask: can one's racial characteristics serve as a proxy for some other characteristic not as easily observed? The answer is unambiguously in the affirmative. Knowing a person's race allows one to make some fairly reliable generalizations because race is correlated with a number of social and physical characteristics.

Knowing that a man is black, one can assign a higher likelihood of his having diseases such as prostate cancer, (6) sickle ce ll anemia (7) and hypertension. Similarly, knowing that a Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry is one can assign a higher likelihood for Tay Sach's disease. (8) Knowing a person's race allows one to assign a probability to a host of socioeconomic characteristics such as scores on achievement tests, wealth status, criminal record, or basketball proficiency. Given this reality, we can no more reliably say that a policeman is a racist when he assigns a higher probability that a black is a criminal, and stops him for questioning or search, than we can reliably say that a physician is a racist when he assigns a higher probability of prostate cancer to his black patient and screens them more carefully.

Jesse Jackson once commented, "There is nothing more painful for me at this stage in my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start thinking about robbery - then look around and see somebody white an feel relieved."http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/wew/articles/fee/profiliing.html

Enacting this legislation will severely hamstring the ability for our law enforcement to prosecute crimes or defend our sovereignty.

This will flood our already bloated legal system to bursting.
Every man, woman, and in-between will be suing on this basis.
What a nightmare.

Cops will refuse to pursue crimes for fear of law suits, and reprimands.
This is absolute insanity.

[Go Fish]

As to ones genetic makeup?
Yes, they go hand in hand.


And are you saying criminal behavior is part of ones genetic makeup? If not, why should race be a determinant?


It's not a genetic matter, it's societal. Buy any rap CD's lately? Been to a prison lately? Blacks are arrested disproportionate to the population because they commit a disproportionate number of crimes.
What part is confusing you?

[preservanation]

And lily, my little fig,

A fig!? Yesterday I believe it was Pookie you called a peach and me you call a fig? That's pretty close to a prune and that my dear preservation is age profiling.......since my birthday is coming up!


Your convoluted logic is crippling, but Happy B-Day anyway, lily!

Your friend,
:evil:

[Elrathin]

Blacks are arrested disproportionate to the population because they commit a disproportionate number of crimes.
What part is confusing you?


They are profiled so that they are arrested disproportionately.

[BoogyMan]

When a particular group is responsible for a statistically significant number of threats, attacks, etc, it makes sense to profile that group.

[Elrathin]

When a particular group is responsible for a statistically significant number of threats, attacks, etc, it makes sense to profile that group.


Sure thing Boogy. Keep telling that to yourself to make you feel better about profiling.

Here's a thought, profile whites for a month, I bet you will get /GASP more white arrests if that happens.

[Easy90]

If it resulted in the arrests of more criminals, wouldn't that be a good thing? Or, should criminals only be arrested based on some kind of racial quota?

[BoogyMan]

When a particular group is responsible for a statistically significant number of threats, attacks, etc, it makes sense to profile that group.


Sure thing Boogy. Keep telling that to yourself to make you feel better about profiling.

Here's a thought, profile whites for a month, I bet you will get /GASP more white arrests if that happens.


Well, that would be an interesting an statistically useless activity El. If a certain demographic is responsible for a statistically significant number of threats or attacks, it makes sense to profile that group. When you ratchet down the emotional response and think about it you can see that it makes sense.

If white people were responsible for threats or attacks I would have no problem profiling them if it lead to arrests and a cessation of the dangerous activity.

[Elrathin]

If a certain demographic is responsible for a statistically significant number of threats or attacks, it makes sense to profile that group.

And when that group has never had racial profiling stopped on int, how can you be sure those numbers are correct?


When you ratchet down the emotional response and think about it you can see that it makes sense.

Sorry it is common sense that if you profile someone you WILL get more arrests for the person you profile.


If white people were responsible for threats or attacks I would have no problem profiling them if it lead to arrests and a cessation of the dangerous activity.


Got any statistics to show that racial profiling was stopped and blacks were committing more crimes? As far as I remember and have seen profiling has never been stopped to verify. Blacks for decades have been profiled.

[preservanation]

There are many white "yobs" in Great Britain who carry out some bad nastiness.
They are targeted for many reasons, including race.
I don't hear the usual suspects squawking about that.

I think Boog's right.If a certain demographic is responsible for a statistically significant number of threats or attacks, it makes sense to profile that group. When you ratchet down the emotional response and think about it you can see that it makes sense.It's an emotional reaction borne out of American "White Guilt".
It has nothing to do with enforcing laws.

This is liberalism through and through.

[BoogyMan]

If a certain demographic is responsible for a statistically significant number of threats or attacks, it makes sense to profile that group.

And when that group has never had racial profiling stopped on int, how can you be sure those numbers are correct?

How do you know that they aren't?



When you ratchet down the emotional response and think about it you can see that it makes sense.

Sorry it is common sense that if you profile someone you WILL get more arrests for the person you profile.

I never claimed that you wouldn't. It does make sense to profile for a specific demographic that is statistically significant.



If white people were responsible for threats or attacks I would have no problem profiling them if it lead to arrests and a cessation of the dangerous activity.


Got any statistics to show that racial profiling was stopped and blacks were committing more crimes? As far as I remember and have seen profiling has never been stopped to verify. Blacks for decades have been profiled.


I am not specifically speaking of blacks El, that is your contribution to the discussion. I am speaking in a more general and statistically driven way. If a group is shown by statistics to be responsible for threats or attacks, it makes sense to profile that group.

[Elrathin]

It's an emotional reaction borne out of American "White Guilt".
It has nothing to do with enforcing laws.

White Guilt? That's laughable. Spare me your conservative rhetoric and spend it on mudslinging liberal candidates since you guys don't seem to get any conservative ones.


This is liberalism through and through.


Liberalism is about not profiling and actually going after ALL criminals, not just ones from one race.

[Easy90]

Liberalism is about quotas and set-asides. Liberals are the worst racists around. They assume minorities are inferior, and therefore cannot live by the same rules as everyone else, and therefore must have special rules. That's simply racism.

[preservanation]

Liberalism is about not profiling and actually going after ALL criminals, not just ones from one race.
All criminals?
They will have to target 'x' number of Hasidic diamond merchants and 'y' number of Swedish grandmothers in Harlem to fill their "quota sheet" before they can go roust some dope dealers in the park.
We see enough of this fluffernutter in airports, as it is.

[Elrathin]

Liberalism is about quotas and set-asides. Liberals are the worst racists around. They assume minorities are inferior, and therefore cannot live by the same rules as everyone else, and therefore must have special rules. That's simply racism.


I'm sorry, but liberals are against profiling while conservatives obviously think minorities are inferior and cause more crime and cannot live by the same rules as everyone else, because they are the ones that SUPPORT profiling them. That's racism right there.

Sorry, but you are confusing conservative ideology there.[hr]
They will have to target 'x' number of Hasidic diamond merchants and 'y' number of Swedish grandmothers in Harlem to fill their "quota sheet" before they can go roust some dope dealers in the park.
We see enough of this fluffernutter in airports, as it is.


Ah so you are for letting criminals go I see, that's ok I'm sure you can find a nice black person to put in jail if you try Pres.

[preservanation]

Where does this stop?

Will the dispatchers be able to report the race of a suspect to officers in the field?
Might narrow the search if they did so, eh?

I would think that they couldn't, because that would necessitate some sort of profiling by the officer, wouldn't it??
I don't think the libs have really thought this through.:shock:

[Elrathin]

Will the dispatchers be able to report the race of a suspect to officers in the field?

Might narrow the search if they did so, eh?

I would think that they couldn't, because that would necessitate some sort of profiling by the officer, wouldn't it??
I don't think the libs have really thought this through.:shock:


It's ok Pres, there are plenty of Black people for you conservatives to jail. The ideology of racism is still there for conservatives to embrace.

[preservanation]

"Bacon, Bacon, Bacon...Is that Bacon?"

[Go Fish]

Blacks are arrested disproportionate to the population because they commit a disproportionate number of crimes.
What part is confusing you?


They are profiled so that they are arrested disproportionately.


No, they commit more murders, assault more people, rape, steal and commit more traffic offenses. It's nobody else's fault.[hr]http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/data/table_43.html

[BoogyMan]

Will the dispatchers be able to report the race of a suspect to officers in the field?

Might narrow the search if they did so, eh?

I would think that they couldn't, because that would necessitate some sort of profiling by the officer, wouldn't it??
I don't think the libs have really thought this through.:shock:


It's ok Pres, there are plenty of Black people for you conservatives to jail. The ideology of racism is still there for conservatives to embrace.


Wow Elrathin, you jump to labeling people as racists with very little provocation.

When profiling is done based on statistics it has more to do with demographics than with the baseless skin color argument you are trying to make.

[Go Fish]

His premise, that racism is to blame for high incarceration rates, is in itself racist.

[Elrathin]

His premise, that racism is to blame for high incarceration rates, is in itself racist.


No it isn't, but like I said conservatives have plenty of other black people to jail, so continue on with your profiling.

[Go Fish]

So you reject the FBI figures?

[Elrathin]

So you reject the FBI figures?


When the profiling hasn't stopped, yes.

[BoogyMan]

His premise, that racism is to blame for high incarceration rates, is in itself racist.


No it isn't, but like I said conservatives have plenty of other black people to jail, so continue on with your profiling.


Elrathin, how about dropping the emotional argumentation and considering the question of statistics based profiling? If the statistics point to a trend it makes sense to scrutinize a particular group, no matter what the ethnicity of that group might be.

How about addressing the question of statistics rather than calling us racists because we see this issue differently than you do?

[4Reaganomics]

Racial Profiling is called common sense. It allows the police to conduct police work and investigate people who are much more likely to commit crimes due to proven statistics.

If there is a nun sitting next to me on my left on a plane and a muslim praying for the virgins on my right

guess which one is going to frighten me? The person who is by far and away extremely more likely to commit a crime on the aircraft due to STATISTICS.

I never understood how applying statistics was racist.

[Elrathin]

How about addressing the question of statistics rather than calling us racists because we see this issue differently than you do?


If the profiling has never stopped, then how can the statistics be valid Boogy?

Tell me Boogy, when has the black person STOPPED being profiled? Will you give me some years that the black person has NOT been profiled? That would help at least if you can.

[BoogyMan]

Thus the rub with your scenario El. I am speaking of groups regardless of color and you still seem to be stuck on the skin color portion. I am speaking of statistics. Cold hard numbers upon which decisions are made all over the world daily and whose outcome is only considered a problem when it comes to profiling. As I have said before, if the statistics point to an issue with a group it only makes sense to monitor that group.

[Elrathin]

Thus the rub with your scenario El. I am speaking of groups regardless of color and you still seem to be stuck on the skin color portion. I am speaking of statistics. Cold hard numbers upon which decisions are made all over the world daily and whose outcome is only considered a problem when it comes to profiling. As I have said before, if the statistics point to an issue with a group it only makes sense to monitor that group.


Boogy, what I am trying to get at is RIGHT NOW many people, especially on this forum as evident in this thread, agree that the black person being profiled is RIGHT, because they supposedly commit more crimes.

My argument is how can the statistics that the black person commits more crime be correct if profiling has never been stopped.

That is the start of a terrible cycle and the problem with profiling. Once it is started, no matter what, it is never stopped. Irregardless of whether the group REALLY commits more crimes than another group.

[Go Fish]

Video cameras "profile"? DNA "profiles"? Do the unenlightened among us a favor and explain precisely how profiling works.

[preservanation]

If an APB goes out for a rapist who is reported to be a white male, and the cops start questioning every Asian female in the area, I will cede the point.
Until that starts happening, all these anti-profiling arguments are fiddlefaddle.

[4Reaganomics]

Look at this stat.

An overwhelming amount, almost all, attacks on U.S. airlines since the Iranian hostage incident have been by radical Muslims.

When 9/11 took place analyst said that the only people capable of this was radical muslims.

Oh my God, the attack was carried out by radical muslims. What a coincidence.

How can the stat be biased that radical muslims are more likely to commit attacks on airlines? We examine the attacks and see who carried them out and create a percentage. How this statistic is invalid, and how you cannot act on it, is beyone me.

I say we search the 19 yr old Asian girl getting on a plane instead of the guy with the diaper on his head kneeling on a rug.

[Elrathin]

I say we search the 19 yr old Asian girl getting on a plane instead of the guy with the diaper on his head kneeling on a rug.


Until Radicals get someone that does not look Arab to blow up a plane, then conservatives will be stuck again with their thumbs up their asses wondering what went wrong.

Profiling only affords them the opportunity to get someone that doesn't look Arab. The possibility of checking anyone doesn't give them that advantage.

[BoogyMan]

Profiling works and works well. Why do you think that the FBI compiles years worth of Uniform Crime Statistics on a nationwide basis? They do so in order to be able to do predictive analysis and have found it to be of significant statistical value.

[Elrathin]

Like I said Boogy, how can you claim statistics that profiling works when profiling against blacks has never been stopped?

I asked you before to show me what years profiling was never done on blacks. You never answered.

[BoogyMan]

That is because the question doesn't make sense El. Crime statistics are kept for a reason, and that reason is they are a valuable predictive tool. I am claiming that profiling BASED ON statistics works, a far cry from what you twisted my words to say.

The mere fact that the FBI compiles nationwide UCR data for police to use in probability and statistical analysis shows the fact that statistical analysis is taken seriously and is a valuable tool for predictive analysis.

http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm

[Elrathin]

Boogy if blacks have always been profiled, then there is no valid statistics to justify their profiling. I can start profiling white people and get many arrests too. That's the problem.

[Buck Laser]

That is because the question doesn't make sense El. Crime statistics are kept for a reason, and that reason is they are a valuable predictive tool. I am claiming that profiling BASED ON statistics works, a far cry from what you twisted my words to say.

The mere fact that the FBI compiles nationwide UCR data for police to use in probability and statistical analysis shows the fact that statistical analysis is taken seriously and is a valuable tool for predictive analysis.

http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm

May I infer from what you say that police have a justification for stopping someone for "driving while black?"

[BoogyMan]

May I infer from what you say that police have a justification for stopping someone for "driving while black?"


No Buck, that is the kind of conclusion that can only be drawn from trying to twist what I have been saying not having read the whole thread. I have rebuffed the race alone only argument several times in this thread and have pointed out over and over again that profiling works when it is statistics based. The existence of the FBI UCR system proves that statistical analysis for predictive crime prevention works and it sure looks like profiling based on statistics.

[Buck Laser]

May I infer from what you say that police have a justification for stopping someone for "driving while black?"


No Buck, that is the kind of conclusion that can only be drawn from trying to twist what I have been saying not having read the whole thread. I have rebuffed the race alone only argument several times in this thread and have pointed out over and over again that profiling works when it is statistics based. The existence of the FBI UCR system proves that statistical analysis for predictive crime prevention works and it sure looks like profiling based on statistics.


And as usual, you manage to dance away from the implications of what you say. What does justify stopping people for driving while black?

[BoogyMan]

And as usual you have created a strawman of what you want me to be saying and are basing your commentary on that without considering what I was actually saying. :D

UCR and stats build cases for profiling based on real-world scenarios. The "driving while black" distraction you are trying to introduce into my argument does not fit into a statistics based real world analysis implementation of profiling.

Why must you try to imply a racist argument when my commentary in this thread rebuffs such abject silliness?

[Go Fish]

Hey, how about those FBI statistics? :lmao: