Recent Streetsblog LA posts about profiling

Mayor Eric Garcetti asks participants in the town hall on gun violence for suggestions of messages he should take with him to meet President Obama. Sahra Sulaiman/LA Streetsblog

“Invest in Us!” say South L.A. Youth in Response to Questions about How to Curb Violence at Town Hall with Garcetti

By Sahra Sulaiman | Aug 7, 2013 | 5 Comments

When asked by his group’s facilitator whether he believed the youth in South L.A. had opportunities — opportunities to grow, succeed, try new things, advance their education, you name it — one young man said he was convinced that the answer was a resounding “no.” It wasn’t just that opportunities weren’t there, the dapper teen […]

Demonstrations of Solidarity are Not Enough to Make Public Space Safe for Everyone

By Sahra Sulaiman | Jul 17, 2013 | 3 Comments

Listening to reports of the murder of yet another Sikh in the wake of 9/11, my mother looked up at the portrait of my father and sighed, “It’s a good thing he’s not here to see this.” I had to agree. Although not Sikh, my father, a Muslim from India, had favored sporting a beard […]

A Case for the Incorporation of Questions of Access Into Planning for Complete Streets

By Sahra Sulaiman | Jun 19, 2013 | 8 Comments

“David!” I yelled, gesturing at City Planning’s David Somers to come over and listen to what the residents playing cards in their yard were saying about the need for a stoplight at the intersection outside their front gate. Too many people had come crashing through it, they told me. And if it wasn’t their gate, […]

Jay Sneed (at podium) offered closing remarks at the forum at USC while Tommie Bayliss waited to speak to senior officers in person (Sahra Sulaiman/LA Streetsblog)

A Tale of Two Communities, Part II: LAPD Finds it Stirred Up Hornets’ Nest by Profiling USC Students of Color

By Sahra Sulaiman | May 13, 2013 | 3 Comments

*This is a sister-story to our recent piece on how the new security measures around USC resulted in the increase in profiling of lower-income youth of color around the campus. Read that story here. “We do not believe at this point that there is any indication that this [incident] was race-based,” Capt. II Paul Snell […]

This is what stopping youth or men of color often looks like, regardless of the reason for the stop. Mikey, Jonathan, and George/Jorge were frisked for weapons on Ave. 50 and York Blvd. in Highland Park in 2013 while waiting for friends. Sahra Sulaiman/LA Streetsblog

A Tale of Two Communities: New Security Measures at USC Intensify Profiling of Lower-Income Youth of Color

By Sahra Sulaiman | Apr 30, 2013 | 33 Comments

“What you got on you?” the 15 year-old girl says the cops pulled up alongside her asked as she walked along Vermont one night. Bundled up in her boyfriend’s jacket to stave off the chilly air, she didn’t realize that they were actually talking to her until she heard one grumble, “Fucking Mexican!” and repeat […]

New security gates appeared along Exposition Blvd. recently as part of USC's effort to make its campus more secure for students. (photo courtesy of Jonathan Weiss)

How Far is Too Far?: Fortress USC and the Struggle to Keep Students Safe

By Sahra Sulaiman | Jan 15, 2013 | 93 Comments

WHEN I BEGAN MY GRAD PROGRAM at USC in 2001, I lived north of campus a few blocks on Hoover Street. As my daylight hours were generally occupied with classes and teaching responsibilities, I tended to get my long-distance runs in well after dark. Instead of being able to clear my head as I did […]