So Little Progress in Race Relations

* Recently, a young, black high school student from the Bay Area was visiting my friend’s family in Dana Point. While taking a stroll, he was stopped by police and questioned. He was told that because he was black, he stood out in predominantly white South Orange County. He was also questioned about his activities, told that he looked suspicious, and warned to “stay out of trouble.” Had the youth not been carrying my friend’s business card, he might very well have ended up at the police station.

Personally, I find this a chilling indictment of our democratic society when a person is questioned by police merely because of his skin color. The furor over the Rodney King incident brought to the fore police harassment of blacks, especially males. When a personal acquaintance experiences this firsthand, the problem ceases to be an abstract news item.

Although Orange County police deserve credit for performing a difficult job under frequently dangerous conditions, they might well take note of the Rodney King incident and the subsequent riots in Los Angeles. Police time should be spent apprehending lawbreakers and not detaining people because of their skin color.

In the 1800s, blacks were required to be legally sponsored by their white slaveholders. Similarly, my friend’s business card literally served as a “pass” for the black youth.

It’s sad and frightening to note how slowly we have progressed in the area of race relations in the past 200 years.

HOLLY CERVANTES

Mission Viejo