Group Claims Police Racism
A local anti-racism group is claiming the Rochester police are harassing the black community in enforcing their Zero Tolerance initiative. It allegedly happened Tuesday afternoon about two blocks from Aquinas High School.
Jordan Brown, who is black, stopped at a local store to get something for his car. His younger brother Stephen Strachan waited outside. “I saw my friend so I slapped him up. And the cops came out of nowhere and they said put my hands behind my back,” said Strachan.
Brown says he was verbally abused and “roughed up” by police when he tried to find out why police had his brother. “I came out of the store and said what’s happening. And they told me, shut up and get back. And then another cop came out and said, as a matter of fact, get him too.”
Jordan was charged with disorderly conduct. Police found no drugs on his brother, or any of his friends. Myra Brown, of Rochester’s Anti-Racism Movement, said “It’s not okay to racially redline communities and to racially profile.” The group, a program of Spiritus Christi Church, says police are bullying people of color.
“When it comes to zero tolerance, we’re going to be tough on crime and aggressive,” said Chief David Moore, Rochester Police Department. “But that doesn’t mean that we’re violating anyone’s rights. It doesn’t mean that we’re profiling or targeting. We’re simply looking to interrupt violent behavior.”
Responded Brown, who later spoke with Chief Moore about the incident, “We have to fix this. There are good officers on the police force who are doing a great job. But maybe we need to help them make the distinction between the directive of being aggressive in their work, and to use aggression against those that they are trying to serve and protect.” Brown says she plans to file a formal complaint.
“They’re just messing with black people, young black people basically,” said Strachan.
Chief Moore tells News 10 NBC he will look into this particular incident. But he says anyone can call 9-1-1, or his office, to register a complaint for alleged police misconduct.
I’m not even going to ask the race of the officers involved because it doesn’t matter. The police saw what appeared to be a fight and they intervened to break it up. When people get caught fighting they usually get arrested for something like battery; disturbing the peace was a reduced charge.
The black community is going to have to learn to accept that it, too, must obey the laws. It’s not racist to go after violent criminals - even black ones.
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