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Black Detectives Say White Cops Racially Profiled Them
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 28, 2009
Modified Oct 28, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 28, 2009
Modified Oct 28, 2009
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Hate crime task force detectives Stephon Garland and Gregory Wilson, who are black, and detective Faisal Khan, who is Pakistani, were going door-to-door in Gravesend, Brooklyn, canvassing residents to investigate a possible hate crime. They were each wearing suits, and soon enough 15 members of the Shomrim Jewish Community patrol pulled up, accusing them of impersonating police officers. Things got heated, and white uniformed cops from the 61st Precinct arrived at the scene to handle the situation. And handle it they did!
The cops demanded that the detectives show them their police ID cards, and Wilson and Kahn complied, explaining that they were with the task force. But Officer Craig Malamed, who is white, then allegedly complained to his sergeant that Garland, who was sitting in the SUV, had not shown his identification. Then Garland called the cop a "fucking dick," according to a report obtained by the Daily News. A fight almost broke out, and both Garland and the sergeant had to be physically restrained.
An NYPD spokesman tells the News the incident is "under review to determine whether there were violations of department rules on either side." The report states that "Detective Garland believes that he was treated in a disrespectful manner because of the color of his skin," and he's also "very upset" over the way the detectives were treated by the Jewish community.
Tagged
bias
brooklyn
gravesent
hate crime
nyc
nypd
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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