23 year old Robbie Tolan and his cousin were returning to his parents home, driving his parents SUV when he was shot in the driveway by a white police officer.
Tolans's parents came outside and an altercation ensued. Tolan's mother was thrown against the garage door. Young Tolan that was on his back on the ground attempted to get up asking, "What are you doing to my mother?" He was shot by the officer.
The police believed the SUV was stolen. Seems a bit odd that an alleged car thief would be returning the stolen vehicle to the address of the owner of the vehicle.
Tolan is the son of former Cincinnati Reds outfielder Bobby Tolan, and he himself has played for minor-league teams. Now he lies in a hospital bed with a bullet lodged in his liver, perhaps permanently, his future sports career in question.
In this nearly white suburb of Houston Texas, Bellaire Police continue to investigate or so they say. The Tolans want charges pressed againstthis ten year white veteran of the Bellaire Police Department.
Here we are on the verge of the inauguration of the first African American president. We still have attitudes, myths and racial beliefs that prevail that will not be erased on January 20, 2008.
The American people still have much work to do to bring the same freedoms that the rich, the white, and the traditional majority of this country have enjoyed for so long.
We as a nation of people should rise up in each community against those injustices. Racial profiling does exist and needs to come to an end not just in Bellaire Texas but in every community across this great land. Racial profiling exists right here in Des Moines Iowa, the first state in the Nation to support Barrck Obama.
So "What can we do?" you ask. Let's explore some ooptions - what grass root organizations can we - should we contact?
If you have had a racial profiling experience please let us know by submitting your comments at the end of this article.
We are going to locate organizations that want this information and post their contact information here on this site. Be sure to check back often.
Recent Comments