Lynx think Seimone Augustus' traffic stop was Cambodian-on-black racial profiling

Johnjohn456

Ru kidding me???

Andy Stealth Trattar

Going off of what Jordan said, I've been pulled over in Texas so many times while visiting family... They follow you for miles, then you touch one of the lines, or turn on your signal too late for their liking while changing lanes, and they pull you over. Guy from Minnesota down in Texas...he's probably smuggling drugs! They always want to search my car too. Everybody gets profiled at some point. I honestly don't see why she is getting so worked up over NOT getting a ticket though... If it was racial profiling, wouldn't they have done something to her? I obviously wasn't there, so I can't say what actually happened...but who gets pissed off about a warning? I've been accused by a cop of stealing a car that I owned (that's the abridged version of the story)...and I didn't go ranting and raving all over the internet about it...

Brent Benjamin Bunn

Do we know if this police officer was born in Asia or North America? Personally I'm so over only white people can be Americans mentality.

Jordan Hanson

Chinese on black racism... not asian on black racism... not even.. more like minority with out of state plates profiling. happens a lot... Happened to me down in Alabama, with MN plates, A LOT...

laxx1559

Did everyone just skip over the whole threat the officer made towards her?

Spencer

So SHE claims in a Twitter rant. Funny though, she never mentioned this "threat" again--even after she spoke to the police chief. Probably because she knows it never happened and said it just to get public support once it was pointed out to her that there was a dash cam and audio recording. She should have been given a citation and needs to grow up and take responsibility. She broke the law. Doesn't matter if it was an air freshener or a handicap parking permit They can't be hanging while the car is moving. Hell, a cop friend told me once ticketed a nun for the same offense because she had rosary beads hanging from her mirror. I wonder if she complained about religious profiling.

David Bruning

I like how when people make statements about a certain "race" maybe committing more crimes (due to certain socioeconomic reasons but committing a crime is committing a crime) and get labeled as a racist...I also like when people spew out "facts" that there favorite non peer reviewed media source and then never back it up with the actual link to the report, article, numbers being reviewed...wheres the concern for same race crimes?

plattMSP

@dbrauer What do they mean Cambodian? Don't you have to be citizen to serve on police? That makes him American.

Cindy Pederson

Is she still riding the Impala with the icey rims? Might have something to do with it. Just sayin.

Lauren Clauer

I wish people would stop acting like racism doesn't exist. Many people have no clue what it's like to be followed by police, pulled over for bogus reasons and statistics prove when Hispanics and African Americans are stopped they are far more likely to be threatened, arrested, and searched.

Nick Goers

Love to stir the pot up a little bit...

Bob Alberti

Bob: Blog owner Aaron Rupar replied to my 9:18 am comment on the blog, you can go read it.

Reier Erickson

@Nicholas Goers... actually, when you look at statistics you find your assertion false.

Gretchen E. P. Halverson

@Nicholas Goers: Why would dark skin color make a human being any more likely to break the law than someone with light skin color? Your "logic" is sorely lacking, sir.

Bob Alberti

^ maybe because you're racist!

Dwade

@dbrauer Man, the presumably Chinese line is so...jarring in a story about race. I mean, it's generally jarring, more so in this context

Nick Goers

^ maybe because they're the ones most likely to do something that breaks a law!

jdavidsavor

@citypages "presumably Chinese police officer" get the facts straight!

Bob Alberti

I'm really disappointed that City Pages would run this article WITHOUT looking up Minnesota's incarceration rates by race. Blacks are more than NINE TIMES more likely to be incarcerated than whites. NINE. That process has to start somewhere, and racial profiling in traffic stops is inarguably part of that process. You shouldn't be focusing on the officer being of Chinese ethnicity, City Pages should be challenging the system that results in more than one black male in ten spending time in prison in America.

A1batross topcommenter

atrupar moderator editortopcommenter

@A1batross Fair observation and duly noted. I just think it's important for folks to be careful before alleging racial profiling. By all accounts there's nothing in officer Chau's record to suggest he discriminates against blacks. Of course, profiling happens all the time, so I agree with coach Reeve's point. However, I've been pulled over for some B.S. more than once too, and as a white male, those instances certainly weren't racial profiling. But systemic discrimination is obviously a big problem in our country and I'm not trying to turn a blind eye to that.

startseeingtheatre

@atrupar @A1batross Your assertion that there's nothing in his record to suggest he discriminates is not a basis for any kind of argument... you also forget that the officer was intent on questioning her about her out of state license and license plate... it comes across as a pretty clear case of racial profiling... doncha think?!

Spencer

@startseeingtheatre @atrupar @A1batross

Wow, startseeingtheatre. You are incredibly stupid. Not everything is due to racist cops. Next time you are in your car, try to figure out the race of the person driving in front of you. Then do the same thing at night. Also, know what the laws are before always assuming something is racially motivated. It's reckless, dangerous, and divides us further. It just so happens it's illegal to have non-Minnesota plates or a non-Minnesota driver's license if you've been living here for 60-days. You tell me, Clarence Darrow, how are the police supposed to enforce this law unless they ask the driver about their plates, driver's license, and residency? If the cop was truly a racist as you suggest, why didn't he arrest her on a BS charge or plant something on her. She drove away without even a ticket.

startseeingtheatre

@atrupar @A1batross An allegation is just that though, a claim made with minimal proof. You then investigate the allegation. Cops "allege" things everytime they pull someone over. Is it the word you're getting hung up on? Maybe instead of "alleging" she should have "hinted" or "suggested"? What term should we use to desribe her belief she was a victim of racial profiling?

Also, if we are not sure what occured why is it your contention that her making an allegation is somehow unfair?

atrupar moderator editortopcommenter

@startseeingtheatre @A1batross There's no way to know for sure with the information that's available, I don't think. And that's my point -- it's a serious allegation, and especially given the fact that Augustus was breaking the law (as ridiculous as that law may be), I'd like to see more evidence before profiling allegations are made. That said, if it's true (as Augustus claims) that Chau threatened her with a ticket *only after* she said she'd report the incident to his superiors, then that's certainly unprofessional behavior on his part.

jdavidsavor

@citypages what does "presumably Chinese police officer" mean? Augustus and Reeve need to get back in the kitchen

panndder

@dbrauer It's okay, @citypages categorized it under racism.

Gerri Lynch Slocum

I have a ton of crap hanging from my rearview mirror ( a wicked witch mini doll, a gods eye, and an air freshner) i honestly didnt know it was illegal but i have been in roseville and many other suburbs with my (bends head in shame) minivan and have never been pulled over once.

Andy Stealth Trattar

I got am one white person who has been stopped for an air freshener

Reier Erickson

Also... "Chinese-on-black racial profiling" why the qualifier?!

startseeingtheatre

... um... yeah, duh! How many white people have been pulled over for having an air freshener hanging from their rear view mirror?!

shelbycobra

Well, I'm white and I did and also got a ticket for having a clear cover over my lic plate, which is also not legal apparently. This was in Brooklyn Center. IMHO, these stops have NOTHING to do with fines. I suspect why a lot of these stops are made are so police can get to the window of your car and then look in and smell for something bigger like maybe guns, drugs, arrest warrants, etc. Nobody waves drugs or guns out the window like a nut, so this is probably the only way they can aggressively enforce these types of laws. I don't have a problem with it provided stops are legal and rights aren't violated. I'm sorry, but I want active cops in my community keeping it safe, not lazy ones. I've received warnings b4 for traffic stuff and knew I didn't have anything big to worry about because I wasn't drunk or high and there were no drugs or handguns in my car. Years ago, a state patrol officer told me when I got stopped as a youngster that one of the biggest factors that determines if you will/will not get a ticket is not your race, it's your attitude. It's common sense, think about. If you're honest about what you did, admit fault, and are not a jerk I think you are more inclined to catch a break.

chandrascoob1

@startseeingtheatre I was pulled over for a crystal hanging from my mirror within the first month I lived in the cities. I also had an out of state license and plates. Oh and I am a white female.... My sister (who works in a bar and is typically heading home after bar close) has also been pulled over twice after work for having something hanging from her mirrors. This is a basic reason to pull anyone over and tally up the potential tickets/fines for the city.

Reier Erickson

... um... yeah, duh! How many white people have been pulled over for having an air freshener hanging from their rear view mirror?!

Gal Shpantzer

Bob Alberti your expertise in infosec and macro sociology never fails to amaze.

A1batross topcommenter

Of course it was. Look at incarceration rates by race in this country and tell me that the police aren't engaging in racial discrimination. It's ridiculous.

Minnesota incarceration rates by race, 2005, from the Bureau of Justice Statistics 'Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2005' report:White: 212 per 100,000Black: 1937 per 100,000Racial profiling? You bet your ass. And it's not "Chinese on Black," it's "Cop on Black," period.

JonnyBeGoode

@A1batross - What has race have to do with incarceration rates? Do certain races really create more crime than others? Or is it that a certain group of people create more crime? I hate to jump to assuming racial profiling. If there was a guy dressed as a gang banger and one dressed in something less notorious - which one is going to get stopped? If you dress like someone going to commit a crime as to someone who is dressed to go to the office, who is more likely going to get stopped? I think race has by far less to do with it that attitudes to urban trends.

A1batross topcommenter

@JonnyBeGoode You are confusing cause and effect and conflating race and dress. The RESULTS of the systemic racism in our prison industry are inarguable - blacks are incarcerated at appalling rates. The causes are up for speculation. But to achieve these appalling outcomes by race, the whole system must be designed to intake people at higher rates by race - if the prison industry took in people at race-proportionate rates there simply would not be enough black inmates to achieve the results we are seeing.

mingtran topcommenter

@A1batross : yaawwnn... you make me tired with your tired comebacks. Are you actually michelle bachman under a different handle? Your personal racist quotient is much greater than mine as I support a level playing field.

mingtran topcommenter

@keny1 : in fairness, your party does too.

mingtran topcommenter

keny1

@mingtran What he and his party does is called "cherry-picking".

A1batross topcommenter

@mingtran You haven't offered any "numbers," or any facts to back up your comments - you're just blathering tired old racist talking points and insults. Go away troll.

mingtran topcommenter

@A1batross : I know you know how to research numbers, your prior posts on this thread reveal that. It's funny, though, that you only believe in numbers when they work for you, not against you. Quit being a stupid little weiner and research the disparity between white/black social program consumption. Nearly every black household in America gets a handout from the fruits of other's labors...but that's okay with you because your party thinks it is too. Smart.

A1batross topcommenter

@mingtran Yeah, that's it, social programs. Which of course only serve blacks. Cause if you're white you can't get on them. Or something. Look, are you even TRYING? Criminy.

mingtran topcommenter

1 Like

@A1batross : by continuous support and expansion of social programs, a majority of blacks have nowhere to turn beside crime as all upward mobility is taken away after system dependence indoctrination. If you are unhappy about the racial disparity in incarceration rates, do something with your vote instead of following the trendy.

MikeW

Yes, it really is illegal to have something dangling from your rear view mirror. However, when is the last time any of us got pulled over for that? Let's hear from your readers if this has been the case.

Bob Alberti

Minnesota incarceration rates by race, 2005, from the Bureau of Justice Statistics 'Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2005' report: White: 212 per 100,000 Black: 1937 per 100,000 Racial profiling? You bet your ass. And it's not "Chinese on Black," it's "Cop on Black," period.