Sure Sounds Like Judicial Harassment
"Racial profiling", a pejorative phrase beloved of lefties and human rights activists (one and the same...?) to denote the unfairness of using one's cerebral intelligence and past experiences to arrive at the conclusion that some physically identifiable groups have a tendency to go askew of the law, frequently and deliberately.
Young black males have a propensity to make trouble, to get in trouble with law enforcement agencies because they are drawn to crime, both petty and major, in excess of their representative numbers in society. Young aboriginal men have the same problem. And young men of Middle East and North African descent are disproportionately seen as allying themselves with terror groups.
To single out these groups for suspicion when trouble occurs is simply common sense since they have already, as a group, demonstrated that this is what they are both capable of, and drawn to. Yet this common-sense recognition is considered by all too many within Western society as being unfair, unjust and anti-humane.
What it is, is stupid, not to use the intelligence one has to aid and assist in apprehending felons.
Ontario court Justice Dianne Nicholas most emphatically does not agree. During a preliminary hearing for Loik St-Louis 24, and Jordan Noel, 22 on charges of possession of drugs, along with a drug scale and a significant amount of cash (connect the dots there; not at all difficult, is it?) she aggressively queried and accused Constable Robin Ferrie, the arresting officer, of "racial profiling".
He offered a reasonable explanation, that two young men were driving a Cadillac DeVille in a high crime area, and took pains to avoid his eyes as they drove past him. Leaving him with the instant impression that the car might be stolen. It does, after all, happen. Police are there to ensure that all is as it should be.
Call it a hunch, but all was not quite as it should be.
The vehicle in question was owned by a woman, Jordan Noel's mother, who affirmed in a telephone call from the police officer, that it was her car, but that her son hadn't asked permission to take it out. Two young males driving in a high crime area in a Cadillac aroused the suspicion of a seasoned police officer. "It sure sounds like racial profiling to me", Justice Nicholas said.
"I stop a lot of people your honour", Constable Ferrie responded when the judge asked "How many white women do you stop in the market just because they are driving a car?" Provocative, damning, is it not? "How many?", she insisted, "How many in the last month?" "Your honour, I don't, I couldn't even tell you", responded Const. Ferrie.
"I felt I was disrespected, discriminated against and judged because of my colour and because I was driving a Cadillac", young Noel said, pushing the colour discrimination issue, because it works, and it certainly worked extremely well in this courtroom. "Racial profiling has happened all my life", added St-Louis, as the reason he doesn't trust police.
Obviously, that mistrust is mutual. These young men don't represent clean-cut, black youth interested in sports and being responsible members of society. But they know the right buttons to push and they indulged themselves shamelessly:
"You're going to check whether he has permission to drive the car and two other police cars show up, like come on?" pressed Judge Nicholas. "Because two black guys in a car don't look at you, you're calling for backup?" The Crown withdrew drug charges against the two men as a result of the judge's acerbic comments and obvious bias.
"I think that is an appropriate use of your discretion", the judge responded. The cash has been returned to the two men, although they claim they have a grievance that the police had taken several hundred more than the amount claimed in court documents, and subsequently returned to them.
The drugs that were seized? No way was that theirs, not the drugs nor the scale. "These guys search the car and then there are drugs there. They are not my drugs, no", Noel said, completely without guile, utterly innocent of the unfair charges brought against him and his friend.
The drugs most definitely did not belong to the two young men who were so unfairly targeted and apprehended. The cash that went with the drugs and the scale, on the other hand, did belong to them. Not only did the police plant the drugs to incriminate two innocent young men, but they also cheated the young men out of several hundred dollars that rightfully belonged to them.
So much for justice, right?
Young black males have a propensity to make trouble, to get in trouble with law enforcement agencies because they are drawn to crime, both petty and major, in excess of their representative numbers in society. Young aboriginal men have the same problem. And young men of Middle East and North African descent are disproportionately seen as allying themselves with terror groups.
To single out these groups for suspicion when trouble occurs is simply common sense since they have already, as a group, demonstrated that this is what they are both capable of, and drawn to. Yet this common-sense recognition is considered by all too many within Western society as being unfair, unjust and anti-humane.
What it is, is stupid, not to use the intelligence one has to aid and assist in apprehending felons.
Ontario court Justice Dianne Nicholas most emphatically does not agree. During a preliminary hearing for Loik St-Louis 24, and Jordan Noel, 22 on charges of possession of drugs, along with a drug scale and a significant amount of cash (connect the dots there; not at all difficult, is it?) she aggressively queried and accused Constable Robin Ferrie, the arresting officer, of "racial profiling".
He offered a reasonable explanation, that two young men were driving a Cadillac DeVille in a high crime area, and took pains to avoid his eyes as they drove past him. Leaving him with the instant impression that the car might be stolen. It does, after all, happen. Police are there to ensure that all is as it should be.
Call it a hunch, but all was not quite as it should be.
The vehicle in question was owned by a woman, Jordan Noel's mother, who affirmed in a telephone call from the police officer, that it was her car, but that her son hadn't asked permission to take it out. Two young males driving in a high crime area in a Cadillac aroused the suspicion of a seasoned police officer. "It sure sounds like racial profiling to me", Justice Nicholas said.
"I stop a lot of people your honour", Constable Ferrie responded when the judge asked "How many white women do you stop in the market just because they are driving a car?" Provocative, damning, is it not? "How many?", she insisted, "How many in the last month?" "Your honour, I don't, I couldn't even tell you", responded Const. Ferrie.
"I felt I was disrespected, discriminated against and judged because of my colour and because I was driving a Cadillac", young Noel said, pushing the colour discrimination issue, because it works, and it certainly worked extremely well in this courtroom. "Racial profiling has happened all my life", added St-Louis, as the reason he doesn't trust police.
Obviously, that mistrust is mutual. These young men don't represent clean-cut, black youth interested in sports and being responsible members of society. But they know the right buttons to push and they indulged themselves shamelessly:
"Maybe it's not whips and everything but for sure there is still slavery out there. It might be mental. It's everyday living. It's not supposed to be, but that is how it is."Noel and St-Louis, two innocent young men who were just out for an evening drive, like normal, law-abiding citizens, were arrested. Not because they were young and black and driving a vehicle owned by one young man's mother. But because there was marijuana, a drug scale, cocaine and a sizeable amount of cash in their possession.
"You're going to check whether he has permission to drive the car and two other police cars show up, like come on?" pressed Judge Nicholas. "Because two black guys in a car don't look at you, you're calling for backup?" The Crown withdrew drug charges against the two men as a result of the judge's acerbic comments and obvious bias.
"I think that is an appropriate use of your discretion", the judge responded. The cash has been returned to the two men, although they claim they have a grievance that the police had taken several hundred more than the amount claimed in court documents, and subsequently returned to them.
The drugs that were seized? No way was that theirs, not the drugs nor the scale. "These guys search the car and then there are drugs there. They are not my drugs, no", Noel said, completely without guile, utterly innocent of the unfair charges brought against him and his friend.
The drugs most definitely did not belong to the two young men who were so unfairly targeted and apprehended. The cash that went with the drugs and the scale, on the other hand, did belong to them. Not only did the police plant the drugs to incriminate two innocent young men, but they also cheated the young men out of several hundred dollars that rightfully belonged to them.
So much for justice, right?
posted by Pieface | 8:44 AM
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