The People Are Abused Every Day : Law Enforcement: When African Americans are denied basic respect and the presumption of innocence during routine stops, is there any wonder why tensions are high?

A well-dressed, professional-looking African American man was stopped by law-enforcement authorities, forced out of his vehicle and subjected to an aggressive body search. His vehicle and the briefcase inside the auto were also searched thoroughly--without a warrant. He was physically and verbally abused by the officers, then detained for questioning for about 15 minutes before being told why he had been stopped. All of this abuse took place because the man allegedly ran a red light. The case was subsequently thrown out of court.

Was this a scene from the movie “Cry Freedom,” depicting life in the shantytowns of South Africa? No.

Was it a scene from the movie “Mississippi Burning,” illustrating what Southern blacks all too often were subjected to? No.

Was it television footage describing life in Watts before the 1965 revolt? Again, no.

It is a scene that happens almost daily in South-Central Los Angeles. I know, because the aforementioned episode happened to me, in the driveway of my home in November, 1988.

My only crime was being black and living in South-Central Los Angeles.

Although unbelievable to some, this story is typical of the double standard of treatment people in South-Central Los Angeles receive from law-enforcement officers.

Would a civic-minded, well-dressed white man have been subjected to this kind of treatment in Westwood? No. I’m certain that he would have been afforded basic respect, common courtesy and the presumption of innocence.

Embarrassment, humiliation, rage and violation are words not strong enough to describe the feelings of a victim of this inverse order of justice.

Why can’t fundamental courtesy be shown residents of South-Central Los Angeles during routine traffic stops?

Is it unreasonable to expect our police, with all of their training, to know the difference between criminals and law-abiding, responsible citizens?

Certainly residents of South-Central Los Angeles understand the difficult task police face in their efforts to reduce drug and gang activity. In fact, residents are often as responsible as the police for the closure of rock cocaine houses and reductions in gang activity. When residents and police work together, it’s a powerful weapon in the battle against escalating crime, but working together is the key.

The emphasis on gang sweeps, “Operation Hammer” and a general gunboat diplomacy is responsible for a rising pattern of police violence against the African American community and increased tensions. The trashing of a Dalton Avenue apartment house and the alleged physical and verbal abuse of its residents is the most publicized incident of gratuitous police violence in Los Angeles. But this kind of treatment happens daily in South-Central. (On Monday, residents of the apartment house accepted a $3-million settlement from the city.)

At best, this kind of treatment creates ill will, but it also hampers police trying to solve crimes. Residents of South-Central don’t want crime and drugs in their neighborhoods. But how can they be expected to help law-enforcement officers when they see police abusing members of the community every day?

The attack-first-ask-questions-later approach fosters confrontation because it assumes the person is a criminal. Under that assumption, respect and courtesy are impossible because the officers are focused on “control.”

This preoccupation with total control often exacerbates tensions between law-enforcement officers and the African American community.

Inadequate communication, strained relations and preoccupation with control have yielded explosive consequences. The fatal shooting of a member of the Nation of Islam by a sheriff’s deputy late last month was the most recent incident.

Sheriff Sherman Block should be commended for advising his deputies against taking “enforcement action in minor incidents in black neighborhoods because of heightened tensions.” Why didn’t he take this step before the tragic Nation of Islam case? Shouldn’t this restraint be standard operating procedure?

The enforcement action that Block referred to is at the core of the problem. Unless efforts are made on a large scale by law enforcement to truly understand the culture of African Americans in South-Central Los Angeles and to guarantee them the fundamental respect that other communities take for granted, the future will unfortunately include events more traumatic than the Nation of Islam incident.