Monday, April 16, 2007

Police profiling revealed

Five years ago, says The Washington Post, in a report published earlier this month, "[a] secret FBI intelligence unit helped detain a group of war protesters in a downtown Washington parking garage in April 2002 and interrogated some of them on videotape about their political and religious beliefs..."

The kicker:

The probable cause to arrest the protesters as they retrieved food from their parked van? They were wearing black -- a color choice the FBI and police associated with anarchists, according to the police records.

So the cops rousted a group of war protesters because their affinity for basic (and always tasteful) black indicated ... what? That they had unacceptable political views? I'm having a hard time seeing how a form of free expression (style of dress) is license for law-enforcement authorities to put the squeeze on people over a form of freedom off conscience (political beliefs).

Am I nuts? Or does this smack of a First Amendment violation twice over?

Well, to avoid unpleasant any unpleasant interrogations the future might bring my way, let me come clean about my own political beliefs and sartorial tastes.

First of all, I'm anti-war, although I rarely attend protests. I wouldn't want my absence at any given rally to mislead the FBI.

Second, I rarely wear black these days. I prefer bright colors with contrasting earth tones. I might wear a red, patterned shirt under a beige sportcoat with a pair of dark-wash jeans. I also own a very nice, navy-blue suit.

Don't let my colorful attire fool you, though. I'm really a rather desperate character.

In addition to my anti-war views, I hate taxes, oppose drug prohibition, support the right to bear arms and I'm fanatically in favor of free speech. I'm also skeptical about the whole enterprise of government to the point of a pragmatic anarchism. that is, I'm not sure we'll ever be able to do away with the state, but I think we'd be better off without it.

Does that earn me an interrogation by a "secret FBI intelligence unit?"

I'll feel neglected if it doesn't.

Oh well, maybe I should break out that old pair of black Levis.

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1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Rama H. Vishnu. I wear black to tango events in DC.

May 8, 2007 5:45 AM  

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