Stop and Frisk

I have had a burning desire to comment on this subject for a longtime. When the ruling in the case involving stop and frisk in New York City came down, I was all ready to chime in. I figured it would be easy to write about a subject I felt so personally. I would point out my disagreement with the positions of mayor Michael Bloomberg and police commissioner Raymond Kelly on the subject matter and that would be that. I have had many stops and starts in that regard but always something was amiss. After much consideration I think I have found the disconnect. For me this is not about the opinion of others it is about me. What do I feel about the indiscriminate use of stop and frisk and why do I feel the way I do?

When a community is treated differently by law enforcement it creates an animosity and or distrust toward law enforcement within the community. That animosity and or distrust lasts a lifetime within the residents of that community. The residents of that community may not permanently reside in that community, but the animosity and or distrust towards law enforcement resides within them no matter where they reside. Whether intended or this police action creates a second class citizen. In this day and age it does not serve the country well to create a class of citizens that does appreciate or respect our honorable brothers and sisters who serve in law enforcement.
I am a product of a Jim Crow Texas, I have seen the products of a civil rights movement as personified by Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois as well as the movement as personified by Martin Luther King Jr.. The purpose of the movements has been to remove the stigma of second class citizenship. Second class citizenship is not solely a byproduct of race it a product of treating certain classes of people differently. If our constitution is to be revered by all, then all should be treated according to its privileges and responsibilities.
Stop and frisk is an accepted law enforcement tactic, its indiscriminate use in a particular community against a subset of people is abhorrent and diminishes us all. I close by saying a mind is a terrible thing to shackle.