Customer Reviews

Driving While Black : What To Do If You Are A Victim of Racial Profiling

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I think the earlier review by Mr. Cooper missed the point of this book: What to do if you are stopped by the police, and more importantly, what NOT to do. The book was not written as a dissertation on race relations.

I personally have not been stopped by the police because of my race (to the best of my knowledge). However, as a Black woman who commutes to an upper class Anglo neighborhood every workday, I thought the book was very well done and informative. The section on your legal rights when you are stopped is worth the cost of the book alone. There is also a chapter called "Living While Black", which contains helpful information about what to do when dealing with the police in everyday situations.

The author is also careful to point out that one should not just jump up and say "I've been victimized because of my race", but should be careful to gather information that will be needed when making an official complaint. This is the smart thing to do. Which is better: To conduct yourself well (even in the face of stupidity on the part of a racist officer or store clerk) and be able to make a strong official complaint later or to be "right", indignant, and get arrested, ignored (who will listen to the complaints of an "out of control", angry Black person?) or even killed? We must rise above and be better than those who are so ignorant and ill-bred that they behave shamefully.

Should we have to put up with racial profiling? No! Have we gotten to "the promised land" over the past few years by simply complaining that things are unfair? No! Mr. Meeks is not trying to solve all of America's racial problems with his book. He is arming Black Americans with the knowledge they need to deal with racial inequities. For this effort, I applaud and recommend this book.

Mr. Meeks provides an excellent source of dissucssion on the topic of DWB. His use of stories to alarm and alert the reader are done in such away that it covers up the major problem that we are truely facing. Mr. Meeks un-intentionally creates a smokescreen - which blurrs the reader from trying to figure out how to solve the real problem- racism and prejudice.

The State of Missouri recently passed racial profiling legislation - requiring police officers to take down the CARD (Class, Age, Race, Dress) information of every person that is stopped. But the question that remains - and what this book does not answer or approach is what do we do with these numbers? These numbers will not tell us anything we know.

Even though Mr. Meeks suggest Civil Remedies to combat the problem - this is a solution - but many of the people who are victims of DWB are indigent and do not have the resources to challenge a police department.

Mr. Meeks provides the reader with a great way to deal with people when faced with DWB - his nonconfrontational approach provides us with a positive way to deal with the police and it can be used to other people we deal with on a regular basis.

My final comment on this book, is that it appeared to focus on Whites vs Colors - but we all have our prejudices. We all judge people by CARD standards.

Mr. Meeks book made a worthwhile effort on combatting the problem of DWB - but I think this issue is a small part of a larger problem.

This book provides some valuable information, not only for Blacks, but other minorities, as well as people in lower economic communities. I am using it as a small part of a life skills curriculum, for at-risk youth. It certainly presented more concepts than I expected.

MR.MEEKS DOES AN Excellent Job of Mentioning a TImeLess Problem.Driving WHile Black.it really does happen time&Again.No Matter what Type OF Clothes Or Car You Drive it can Happen.The Book Does A Fantastic Job on The Do's&Don't's.Being Calm is The Most IMportant thing.Being Civil is also Important.Having all of Your Paper Work&Identifications is a Must as well.it's easy too get caught up in the storm but you have too be Leveled Headed about the Matter.but at times it's easier said than done.MR.Meeks Covers everything really well here.Sadly Everything he Mentions Goes on TOday&We are in a New Century?