Today, Melvin Brothers described the moment his mother broke the news to Vincent that his family was dead. "When they told him what happened, he was hollering, screaming, vomiting." Melvin says his mother called and told them to meet her at the gas station, not her house. Melvin didn't ask why. Melvin kept saying let's go straight to the house. Vincent wanted to go to New York. Melvin said Mom will be mad. Melvin says his mother told him she didn't want to meet them at her home because she's on Section 8 (a program designed to increase the housing choices available to very low-income households by making privately-owned rental housing affordable to them) and she didn't want the police at her house.
Fear of police among blacks. Social scientists have spilled far more ink on this subject than I could in this blog. But I opened up the topic for discussion in our newsroom, and it launched a 30-minute conversation.
Melvin Brothers has continually said he was intimidated, coerced and threatened by police detectives. He said if he lied or mixed up facts, it was because he was scared.
Numerous studies support the theory of racial profiling, referred to often as 'driving while black.' Whether detectives coerced Melvin Brothers in this case is really up to the jury to decide. The jury will also have to decide if Melvin intended to lie to police. But perception is reality. And it's clear from Melvin's testimony that he neither trusts nor likes police detectives. It seems the relationship between Melvin and the detectives had soured from the start.
What do you think? Do blacks have a legitimate reason to fear police in this country?
And conversely, do police officers have reason to be suspicious of certain people?
