It's one thing for a public official to endure criticism for taking a principled stand with which others disagree. Happens a lot. It's another thing to hang your police force out to dry in the name of racial pandering, and refuse to make amends. That's what Portland, Oregon Mayor Tom Potter is doing.

I recently criticized Potter for blithely seconding a Somali immigrant's claim that his record of repeated traffic stops by Portland police demonstrated racial profiling; Potter said the series of stops "smacked of racism." As I pointed out in this Rosenblog post, the actual article about the assertions of Kayse Jama, and Potter's supportive comnments taking Jama's side against police, showed that Jama had a history of being his own worst enemy.

Chuck Dodge of North Portland recently made the same point in The Oregonian (Portland's daily newspaper, where the afore-mentioned article was published). His letter is titled, "Case For Profiling Flimsy."

"Jama has been cited four times in six years," your article continued -- for operating an unregistered vehicle, driving without insurance, failing to carry proof of insurance and for equipment violations. Mayor Potter told Jama, " 'You're a good man, and you don't deserve that'." I'm confused. I consider myself a good man also, but if I were to drive an unregistered vehicle without legal lights and no proof of insurance, I'd expect to be cited and towed also. Furthermore, if I'd already been cited for such violations, I wouldn't continue to drive until I complied. Is this a case of racial profiling or a case of officers doing what they are hired to do?

This week, the head of the Portland police union, Robert J. King, had an op-ed published in The Oregonian, titled, "Mayor Potter Owes The Police An Apology." King states:

The man, a Somali immigrant who complained of racial profiling, was stopped four times over a span of five years. He was first cited and convicted for operating an unregistered vehicle in 2000. In 2002 he was involved in an automobile accident and was cited and convicted for driving without insurance. Three years later, in April 2005, he was again cited for driving without insurance and operating a vehicle without required lighting. Because this traffic stop occurred after dark, the officer involved could not have seen the race of the driver before the stop. After the car was towed for lack of insurance, a sergeant learned that there were groceries in the car at the tow lot. The sergeant drove to the lot, picked up the groceries and personally delivered them to the man's house. (Coincidentally, the officer and sergeant involved both teach the Perspectives in Profiling class for the Portland Police Bureau's in-service training.) This case was ultimately dismissed because the man brought proof of insurance to his court appearance....We only ask of the mayor what he asks of us -- that he be neutral, fair and objective in his evaluations of officer action. Unguarded statements undermine the positive contributions to this community made daily by Portland Police Bureau officers. Potter owes his officers an apology and an explanation of his comments.

Potter, remarkably, is a former Portland police chief himself. He has done his city's officers a great disservice, and should make amends, quickly. Police are integral to community viability, no less so in uber-liberal West Coast cities such as San Francisco, Portland and Seattle than elsewhere. On The Left Coast, the M.O. these days is that loudmouthed activists enamored of victimization and political correctness throw around indiscriminate charges of police bias because they know it's a great way to turn discussion away from the role of the individual, or family, in crime. They're not above grasping at straws, either. White liberals, including Portland Mayor Potter, then either cower in silent fear, or rush to pander to the race-baiters, not wanting their "progressive" bona fides undercut. Police, in turn, are then prone to reduce the number of times they stop and question suspects in minority neighborhoods; as they're wary of being falsely charged with racial bias for simply doing their jobs. This is one aspect of so-called "de-policing." Ironically, most people in the very communities from which such allegations arise, want a more - not less - active police presence.

Unfortunately, it says a lot about the sensibilities of Portland that the city's Mayor felt he could so easily make a baseless allegation of racism against his own police force.

TECHNORATI TAGS: PORTLAND, MAYOR, TOM POTTER, RACIAL PROFILING, TRAFFIC STOPS, KAYSE JAMA, ROBERT KING, PORTLAND POLICE ASSOCIATION, DE-POLICING