Excerpt:
The defense demonstrated that it was physically impossible to see what the officers claimed to have seen from the location a block away where they placed themselves. (As a witness for Traylor, I testified on that point.) They argued that the officers struck Traylor with their vehicle to amuse themselves, then fabricated evidence and falsely arrested him to cover their abuse.
The judge found that Piwnicki and Smith arrested Traylor without probable cause, in violation of his constitutional rights, and dismissed all charges. The subsequent civil suit was settled in 2003.
I wouldn’t say it’s about racism. It’s about socioeconomic status.
People need to stop thinking everything is about the color of someone’s skin. It’s a myopic view of the world. In my opinion, the real issue is money. Police love to jack and abuse poor people. Since they lack the financial means to fight any arrest, they are screwed by the system. Many people turn a blind eye when they are abused and even when they don’t commit a crime, people assume they have.
It can be two things.
At its core, yes, but a major expression of this is expressed through racism. Many black people, regardless of their socioeconomic status, are treated poorly until they present themselves as “white” in action and deed. And even then, if they encounter some people with authority, they will still be treated as lower class faking higher economic status.
Racism is an expression of class warfare, they go hand in hand. You can not treat one without treating the other.