Opinions
Walking While Black, Yes It’s Still A Problem
I can’t tell you about the countless times in my own city I have witnessed the “stop and frisk” searches by just walking down the street. I can remember vividly when a young African-American male couldn’t take the trash out like his parent asked, without being stopped and searched by the police. The story is all too familiar around the nation, but the city of brotherly love has had enough.

I can’t tell you about the countless times in my own city I have witnessed “stop and frisk” searches for simply walking while Black.
I can remember vividly when a young African American male couldn’t take the trash out like his parent asked, without being stopped and searched by the police.
The story is all too familiar around the nation, but the city of brotherly love has had enough. The ACLU of Pennsylvania has filed a lawsuit challenging the “stop and frisk” searches by the Philadelphia Police Department.
The ACLU lawsuit comes about after a complaint filed on behalf of eight men, including Jewel Williams, a statelaw maker. Mr. Williams said he was detained and handcuffed during a traffic stop. The police later apologized stating it was a “misunderstanding”.
In the lawsuit, the ACLU cites city data shows 253,333 people were stopped last year and more than 70 percent were black. Only 8.4 percent of the stops led to an arrest.
Despite needing a valid reason to “stop and frisk”, the ACLU alleges pedestrians are being stopped because of their race.
“Our belief is that people are being stopped because of their race and not because of any individual activity that should raise any suspicion by police,” said Roper, adding that stops were made by both black and white officers.
The use of “stop and frisk” searches has been a focal point of Mayor Michael Nutter’s campaign to slow violent crime in Philadelphia, which is down since he took office in 2008.
What do you think? Although the police department is there to protect and serve, do you feel some of the searches are racially motivated?
Photo by Kindel Media: https://www.pexels.com/photo/policeman-frisking-the-person-in-yellow-shirt-7715247/
Discover more from Unheard Voices Magazine
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
-
Black And Missing1 week ago
Morehouse College student Kyle Coleman found dead after Virginia crash
-
Culture4 days ago
Brooklyn community rallies behind beloved shoe shiner Byron Neal known as “The Light on the Corner”
-
Black And Missing6 days ago
Search continues for missing 10-year-old Arkansas girl swept away in Florida waters
-
Beauty & Fashion7 days ago
Young mother dies after cosmetic surgery complications
-
Culture2 weeks ago
Exclusive : South Carolina sneak preview of ‘40 ACRES’ at Saloma Acres in Blythewood
-
Social Justice14 hours ago
Family of Jabari Peoples Demands Answers After Fatal Police Shooting in Alabama
-
Crime & Justice2 weeks ago
One dead after shooting during concert on Long Branch, New Jersey beach
-
Crime & Justice1 week ago
Outrage grows over brutal attack on teen at California concert