Backlash Against Palo Alto Police Chief

Photo: "On the Job in Downtown Palo Alto" courtesy Robert Wilson.

Police Chief Lynne Johnson stated at a community meeting in late October that her officers would be stopping African-American males and having "consensual" interviews. The purpose of the interviews would be to determine who they were and what they were doing in the city of Palo Alto, she stated.

Her apology was televised the next day on mainstream media television news, but it was a Palinesque moment for Chief Johnson as she fumbled through a poorly worded explanation. "What I meant to say," she stated, " was that the officers, when they see not just the African American male adult, but the behavior, if the person is acting suspicious then they are to make contact and find out who that person is."

Community leaders including Congresswoman Anna Eshoo and Palo Alto Mayor Larry Klein expressed deep concern about Chief Johnson's ability to continue to act as head of the city's police department. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, issued a statement condemning the chief's original remarks. Eshoo said that Chief Johnson had "demonstrated a profound lack of judgment and leadership." In an official statement the Congresswoman said that the Police Chief should rescind her comments and orders or resign.

Palo Alto Mayor Larry Klein said the chief's remarks were "unacceptable, unconstitutional and un-American." After the chief's televised attempt at an apology the mayor said that a lot of work would be required to heal wounds caused.

The original statement that the chief made, causing an uproar amongst Palo Alto residents attending a safety awareness meeting, was in response to questions about how she was working to stop the city's current crime spree. In a spike of strong-arm street robberies since last June, victims have variously described the assailants as being black, Latino, white, or Pacific Islander males.

“I have told my staff that I want you, when you're out on the street, and you see African-Americans who, somehow, and these are vague descriptions, we don't have real finite descriptions, I want you to go and have consensual contacts initially, to see who these people are," said Chief Johnson at the October 30 meeting. She also stated that she told officers to be on the lookout for black people with do-rags, because one of the robbers wore one.

In an editorial of November 7, the Palo Alto Weekly called for Chief Johnson's resignation citing the 33 year career policewoman's inability to communicate effectively. The NAACP of the South Bay and the ACLU are also troubled by the police chief's words. ACLU attorney Michael Risher found her apology lacking, and a representative of the NAACP said of the situation that "this is totally unacceptable and outrageous".

On Sunday November 9, a march and rally will be held starting in East Palo Alto, a city with a large African American and Latino population situated in San Mateo County directly east of Palo Alto. Details on the *March and Rally to End Racial Profiling* are as follows:

Organizers: The East Palo Alto African American Leadership Summit & Coalition for Change

March start location and time: East Palo Alto City Hall (2415 University Ave.) at 2 p.m.

March end/Rally start location and time: Palo Alto City Hall (285 Hamilton Ave.) The rally will start at about 4pm.