Racial prejudice still exists
Several people have already commented on the story about Dallas police office Robert Powell, who wasvplaced on administrative leave for his conduct in stopping Houston Texas running back Ryan Moats. Moats was on the way to take his wife and other relatives to see his mother in law who was dying at a Plano hospital. Powell pursued Moats until he stopped in the hospital parking lot. While his clearly upset ran into the hospital, Moats proceeded to harass Moats for approximately 15 minutes. He has now apologized for his conduct.
The video of this stop has been posted on you tube and can be found here. The question I have is what factor what race played in this stop and Powell's subsequent actions. This was in Plano, a relatively affluent suburb of Dallas, and Moats was a young black man driving a nice car. I wonder if a 50 something white male (like me) would have been treated the same. I don't really think so.
Granted, Moats could have behaved differently. But he was trying to get to see his mother-in-law, and was probably already upset - his wife certainly was. It's not surprising he just wanted to get his ticket and get into the hospital - which he says several times. (by the way, his mother in law died) He was in the hospital parking lot, and its clear they were there for a reason. You have to believe Powell wanted to something more than issue a ticket - he even pulled his gun during the stop. Watch the video, and form your own opinion.
I also think there was another factor at play here. Traffic stops are often nothing more than an opportunity to look for evidence. Yes, race is a factor in this also; the statistics are clear that black driver are more likely to be asked for consent to search their vehicle. Many times, they are looking for evidence of something more than the traffic violation; are you nervous, don't have a story that makes sense, smell of alcohol? If they can't find a reason, then they ask if you mind if they look in the car. It happens every day, in a high percentage of stops. My bet is that Powell didn't think he was going just write a ticket and leave; he could have done that and brought it to him inside the hospital. He thought he was going to be taking him to jail, and made that threat several times during the stop.
People violate traffic laws every day, and deserve tickets. They don't deserve to be harassed, and subjected to a full blown investigation. Sure, there are reasons to do that sometimes. But that is the exception, and not the norm. Unfortunately, it is reversed in many places. This was an especially egregious cases, and we heard about. I'm willing to be there a lot more like it we never hear about. The problem is the underlying attitudes and perceptions that officers take into the stop.
It's not too surprising that no one has tried to defend Powell's actions, and the response from his employer was immediate. Dallas police chief David said he was emabarrased and humiliated and “It’s hard to find the right word and still be professional in my role as the police chief". Needless to say,his future doesn't look to bright. I would hope this be a lesson, but I doubt it will be. Most will say I would never do that. Maybe that wouldn't, but as long as your motivation is something other than issuing a ticket, the possibility is always there.
