Anyone who thinks the Garner case is not racial is a naive white person. In college, I had a friend who was a muscular, black Jamaican. Since our dorm was a mile or so from the center of campus, he would ride his bicycle. On more than one occasion, he was stopped by campus cops and asked, “That’s a nice bike–where’d you get it?” In another incident, campus cops stopped and boarded a student shuttle bus to interrogate two black students who had just run onto the bus, despite the fact that the description of two suspected purse snatchers said “two white<\/em><\/strong> individuals.” This kind of daily harassment and discrimination is part of growing up black in the U.S., and many other countries are worse.<\/p>\n Now, if you disagree with that world view, or if you want to get a better understanding of the plight of minorities who face discrimination all the time, and gain some empathy, I can help. OK, we know that if you’re a regular reader of my blog, you’re a white male. You may not like the racial profiling, but let’s face it: I nailed it. Based on the U.S. Census, I would be right only about 32% of the time if your demographic were random, but we know that predicting “white male” here will be right about 90% of the time. So, you’re a white male, meaning you have faced a minimum of negative discrimination in your life, and might even think that cops are your friends.<\/p>\n But wait! What is the one<\/em><\/strong> way a white male can experience police harassment (possibly violent), get illegally detained, arrested, illegally searched, and get his stuff illegally confiscated and sometimes stolen? Become an AP!<\/p>\n If you’re new to advantage play, I’ll tell you a secret: police work for the casinos. I’m not saying that they work with the casinos, or collaborate with them; I’m saying that the police are casino employees. Got it? Disagree? Let’s look at some facts: In the post-9\/11 world, every cop is a hero, and you, Mr. AP, are scum. I would love to see the following dialog between a DA and a cop:<\/p>\n \nDA: “What was the suspect about to do when you detained him?” The good news for you, my dear, white, male, AP reader, is that you can escape the harassment by avoiding casinos, but maybe it’s better to sue them. Good luck, Mr. Mills. The death of Eric Garner is disturbing. If you haven’t seen the video by now, you spend too much time counting in casinos! Here’s one of many links to Youtube clips: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=S7jtXXf4tMM. What you may not have seen are the videos of card counter Justin Mills getting backroomed: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jBdk1yG2pmU, https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LlMexfd2e8s, and http:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/business\/bs-bz-card-counting-20141027-story.html. We’ll get back […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[2],"tags":[45,67,78,111],"yoast_head":"\n
\n1. Many casinos have cops (in most states, gaming agents are cops, too) on premises, and cops always come when the casino calls.
\n2. No cop has ever arrived on scene, decided that the casino has illegally detained the AP, and then arrested the shift boss.
\n3. No cop has ever arrived on scene, then ordered the immediate release of the AP without interrogation.
\n4. The cop will always compel you to produce ID, and will tell you that is illegal to be in the casino without ID (not true).
\n5. The cop may say that counting cards is illegal! The idiot cop says to Justin Mills: “We’re not here to talk about Vegas. I’ve never been to Vegas. I don’t know Vegas law, so I can’t advise you on that, OK, so stop asking about Vegas (we don’t tell, OK?). We can go based on what Maryland law states, because I’m a Maryland police officer, not a Vegas police officer.” Earlier in the video the same cop says: “[Counting cards] might be legal in your mind, but unfortunately it’s not here, because there’s an ordinance.” Even Vegas cops have said the same thing to APs in the backroom.
\n6. If you correctly cite law, the cop will become defensive and sarcastic: “… since you’re a lawyer and all that” says the cop to Justin Mills. When I told an Illinois gaming agent that I don’t have to give ID until my buy-in hits $10001, she said with an annoyed tone, “How do you know what the law is?” Um, because I can read?
\n7. The situation can become physical, even if the person exhibits no threatening behavior. Both Justin Mills and Eric Garner did a great job in not making any threatening gesture whatsoever, but both situations escalated to physicality.
\n8. Cops do not show up at a casino to de-escalate the situation; they arrive to escalate the situation, intimidate with threat of arrest, and ultimately hide behind their badges, making it difficult to sue.
\n9. Cops become fixated on what they want. A cop never wakes up in the middle of harassing you and says, “Gee, maybe I should stop or back off.” If they want your ID, they won’t stop till they get it. If they decide they need to see what’s in your pockets, they will illegally search you. In a cop’s mind, everything he does is justified; he never thinks that maybe it’s not cool to violate someone’s Constitutional rights. The limits imposed by Terry vs. Ohio are nothing more than a bogus technicality to a cop. When a guy starts saying, “I can’t breathe,” it doesn’t matter. The cop is already fixated on what he’s going to do.
\n10. Whatever info the cop gets will be shared with the casino.
\n11. Even though you are in the backroom for counting cards, the cop will treat you like a criminal. He won’t be impressed with your ingenuity or say, “I should learn to use my brain like this kid!” You will be referred to as a “suspect” or “perpetrator.” One Missouri gaming agent chased me into the parking lot, flashed his badge, compelled me to produce ID, then told me, “It’s entertainment; it’s not a living.” OK, thanks, buddy, now why don’t you go protect and serve somewhere else!<\/p>\n
\nCop (Chief Wiggins): “Well, sir, he was about to make a bet.”
\nDA: “Thank goodness you caught him!”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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