NASHVILLE, Tenn.
Nashville police officials told a forum at Fisk University late last week that racial profiling serves no purpose in community policing.
The NAACP forum at the historically Black campus invited community members and police together to discuss the issue on Thursday. The event was part of a monthly series dubbed “Black in Nashville,” organized by the NAACP to examine quality-of-life issues.
Nashville businessman Carl Jones, who is Black, said he filed a complaint after he was pulled over about a year ago by two officers. Jones said at the forum that one of the officers told him, “You know if I shot you, nothing would happen.”
“I feel hurt and offended because I’ve worked hard to make this a better city,” said Jones, a contractor who helped build LP Field, where the Tennessee Titans play. “This isn’t an indictment of the entire police force, but an indictment of an environment created by a police chief where this is allowed to happen. I refuse to let such an environment continue.”
North Precinct Commander Anthony Carter said police don’t pull people over based on race, but said traffic stops are a good tool to fight crime.
“And we ask you a series of questions to figure out if you’re involved in any illegal activities,” Carter said