Racist profiling in Alabama: the case of Sureshbhai Patel

PBS news reported that in Madison, Alabama on February 6th, a 911 call came in alarmed about a “tall, skinny Black man” walking in the neighborhood. The caller did not report he was engaged in suspicious activity but a patrol car was sent to check out why a Black guy was walking down the sidewalk. Fifty-seven-year-old Sureshbhai Patel had just arrived in the US from India to visit his son & care for his 17-month-old grandson. He didn’t speak a word of English.

When the two cops confronted him, he was not a suspect in any crime, was not armed, & was unable to understand their questions. He said “no English”, & repeated his son’s house number. He made a slight movement & one of the cops took him down. Mr. Patel is now partially paralyzed from a spinal injury & faces a very long recovery.

In the tradition of PBS, they brought on two experts for comment. One was a woman from an Indian civil rights group in the US who spoke cogently about racist profiling, making connections to Ferguson & Staten Island. The other guy was a criminology professor from the University of Missouri & also a former cop. He became quite agitated in response to the Indian activist, insisting it was just a procedural mistake, having nothing to do with racism.

Half-witted legal eagles are questioning the criminality of this act & suggest it may be only a civil liability. Racism makes you think funny, approximating derangement.

Please consider contributing to the medical expenses of the Patel family while they pursue litigation against the Madison Police Department:

http://www.gofundme.com/m757pw

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