Lamar Ferguson experienced the racist culture of the LAPD firsthand. The police officer, a four-year veteran of the force, says the he was racially profiled by a White police officer who thought he was a gang member.
According to a report by the Los Angeles Times, Ferguson was checking on a property he owned in South Central Los Angeles when he was stopped by a White member of the LAPD. Ferguson told the officer that he was a member of the LAPD and gave him his ID. He also told the officer that his uniform and badge were in the backseat.
However, the officer told Ferguson that he needed to verify his ID because gang members tend to impersonate police officers. Ferguson said the officer took 20 minutes to verify his employment with the LAPD, which was longer than necessary. Ferguson was eventually allowed to leave.
But after driving into the driveway where his property was located, the officer returned and told Ferguson that he would need to verify his employment again.
Ferguson called his supervisor and said that he was being racially profiled, but his complaint backfired. Ferguson’s supervisor never filed a complaint against the officer and he was forced to perform desk duties.
Ferguson’s ordeal sheds light on the LAPD’s longstanding issues with racial profiling. If a Black officer faces overt racism in South L.A., the Black residents are likely under a police state where profiling and brutality are the norm.
Ferguson has decided to sue the LAPD and the officer involved.
