It is obvious that things have changed from the admin down to those on the streets. Acting Chief Burns has been doing a great job bridging officers with the community and with other department within the city. Keep up the great work and I hope you get the permanent nod.

Without a change in police leadership racial profiling will continue unabated. Now is not the time to give up the fight and become complacent. It would appear the pastor has softened up since his last comment a year ago. Police officers who consciously or unconsciously practice racism will continue to be identified by police critics present or not at public community meetings.

"Why can I not find an African-American man who has spent more than three weeks in Palo Alto and has not been stopped by the police, including myself?" Darrington said. "Only through a change in leadership can there be a change in fellowship."

-Pastor Anthony Darrington-

The meeting last night was an an example of leadership, courage, restraint, and fellowship. I'm proud to be a member of this community in moments like that. Lets hope that Dennis Burns becomes chief and continues this kind of creative leadership and outreach.

As President of the California Avenue Area Development Association, I've attended each Meet the Chief meeting since the first one held last February.

I've appreciated that each gathering has been forward moving & helpful for the audience, in terms of learning new tips & "Best Practices" from police experts, and knowing current events, from the standpoint of law enforcement, for the previous 30 days.

These monthly meetings are also just a terrific way to get to know the police staff. Everyone has sets of stereotypes that need to be broken down & analyzed, even my childhood perceptions about the police dept. were not quite accurate. So familiarity is good.

As a result of having attended all these meetings, if I or anyone I knew felt a stop made by police that was unfair, today, I wouldn't hesitate to call the PAPD and report the incident to the "Watch Commander". I would be confident the report would be investigated. So it was rewarding to learn that there has already been improvement in the PAPD towards that issue.

The most moving experience for me at the meeting was the woman of color, whose child is at Gunn, that praised the PAPD for its efforts in helping with the recent teen suicides, a sentiment later echoed by a speaker from Palo Alto Unified.

To my concern about at risk children:
Everyone in Palo Alto should know about the Palo Alto Parent Project headed by Donna Arndt or Melda Christmas (650) 617-3100 x 1321 that helps parents work with children showing troublesome behavior.

I was also glad to hear that anyone 16 years & older is eligible for the police "ride along" program - another great way to reach at risk teens, steering them in a healthy direction.

The monthly Meet the Chief meetings have been great! On behalf of the merchants of the California Avenue Area Development Association: Thank you to the PAPD for coming to the Cal Ave district. It was our collective honor, to host the August event!

What about the drivers that think the streets they drive on are the Indy 500 like on Fordham just before the Dumbarton Bridge?

"The question of racial profiling wasn't mentioned until the very end, when Darrington told the officers that some community members still get pulled over and questioned by police for no apparent reason. But such incidents have become more rare, he said."

I hardly believe that people are getting pulled over for "no apparent reason." If people are feeling this way , they should ask why they are being pulled over and if it is bogus, report that to the Supervisor. After all, it is a violation of your Constitutional Rights if there was NO legitimate reason. I bet that 100% of the time, there was adequate cause to pull someone over, but the violator will always think otherwise.

Just remember, no matter how small the violation, it is still a legitimate reason to get pulled over...whether you like it or not...whether YOU choose to make it a racial profiling incident.

I disagree with Frank. I know that my son was pulled over repeatedly in Palo Alto and Los Altos late at night and asked why he was out and driving on the streets. After he politely answered, the officers always let him go with no citation. When he asked why he was being stopped in a polite way, he was asked why he was out at night that late.

You are naive to think that a simple, non-violent violation of your civil liberties can be disputed, fought, argued over, at the time that you are stopped -- and furthermore if you are to act in any way that they construe as beligerent they can then accuse you and consequently treat you roughly.

Obviously, you have had little to do with the police for any reason over your lifetime. Lucky you.

also,those who have been falsely arrested because of race,will not in this life feel trusting towards any authorirty. even security guards.unless youve experienced it you dont understand, even whites who have nbeen involved with violent incidents with police are acquited or not arrested.just because your not white doesent mean you can tolerate assaults on your character

why was joseph ciampi not in jail,if he was black he would have been ''oscar granted'' try to rationalize trhat .youre white,you walk away content.

THIS IS THE SECOND OF THE POLICE MEETINGS I HAVE BEEN AT---THE POLICE OFFICERS COME OUT IN GREAT NUMBERS--(MANY OFFICERS ON THEIR TIME OFF) AND THEY ALL DO A GOOD JOB--IT IS SAD THAT SO FEW CITIZENS COME TO THE MEETINGS---THE CHIEF ASKED HOW MANY PEOPLE FROM COLLGE TERRACE WERE THERE (I WAS THE ONLY ONE)--THEY THEN DISCUSSED THE NEW PARKING RESTICTIONS IN THAT AREA WITH WITH NO RESIDENTS AT THE MEETING--COME ON YOU SILENT MAJORITY GET INVOLVED

I know of one white male in his 40s who enjoys a late night walk in the neighborhood before retiring to bed who has been stopped by PAPD on occasions. Don't assume that only black males get stopped for no reason, it happens to others too.

I commend the wise Pastor Darrington, as well as Interim Police Chief Dennis Burns, for working toward stopping racial profiling. One must be living in a bubble to think this has not been a problem in PA. This meeting is proof that open dialogue between the Police and the community can have positive results. Keep it up!

Non-white people have been pulled over by cops for decades for no legal reason. If you ask the cop why he stopped you, he will make up some excuse like "driving too slow" or it was too dark for him to read your registration sticker expiration date. If you press him, you have a good chance of being arrested for "disturbing the peace" or some other made-up charge. That is the price of being non-white in America. The best way to combat racial profiling is through community groups, not individually.

Well obviously he's going to get stopped considering he's a middle-aged man walking at night in a city that is not uncommon to pedophiles and molesters.

We must continue to build on the relationships that have been established and gain further understanding of what it might be like to walk in each others shoes. Then and only then can the process that has begun ever reach it's goal of reconciliation and restoration for all parties involved. Being a African-American man living in Palo Alto and pastoring a small church in East Palo Alto many years, I have seen how things can turn-around for the better. We all should never retreat, only reload with more love and accountability to each other. I have met with Chief Burns individually and in corporate settings on many occasions and support Chief Burns as our new Chief of Police.

If you are stopped "for no reason", be polite and ask for the officer's name. If he won't give it to you, try and note the serial number of the patrol car he/she is driving - it is a 4 digit number on the right rear bumper or left front bumper - and always begins with the number 5.

Then call the watch supervisor at 329-2406 during the day and 329-2413 at night - there's one on duty day and night - and state your case citing officer's name, time of stop, and purported reason for the stop. If you are not satisfied with the response, call Acting Chief Burns or the police auditor during the day.

Burns is sincerely trying to make sure there is no racial profiling.

Some of these posts are really thoughtful. Cops always get away w/stopping nonwhites, for little to no reason, as well as legit reasons. I know too many blacks who have stopped for no legit reason in PA and MV. These aren't thugs, punks, gang members & they aren't driving under the influence.

I really hope Burns is the one to make some solid changes in PA, incl w/his own, to rebuild morale among officers, staff, Animal Control & in the community.

A lot of cops have good intuition on who to stop, but when they just default & stop based on race or ethnicity w/out the correlating gut feeling, it results in too much profiling. Palo Alto has been guilty of this for a long, long time. One thing I've learned in EPA - the cops hone that intuition really darn fast - too bad they can't pass some of that on to PA.

america is a problem people dont realize it,the world is changing no time for ostrichness

significant dialogue and i find myself drawn to contribute because i have experienced both sides--being discriminated/profiled as well as being trusted and valued.

out of curiosity, my friend and i attended this meeting and were glad we did. i believe these forums contribute to the process of repairing and building our community. i strongly encourage people with concerns or feedback to attend. my favorite topics were identity fraud, parent project (wonderful class by the way), and ending with the prayer. it warmed my heart to see these hardworking men and women bow their heads in respect; admirable moment for me.

to close, my recommendation is to use our circumstances to make ourselves better people. if we are wrongly judged, discriminated, or profiled, be motivated to prove the situation/people wrong by working harder NOT to be what they say. when we're wrong, use being accountable to make things right permanently. and finally, when we're trusted (regardless of the past), be encouraged by that trust to stay on the right track. we're all labeled in one way or another, but as individuals, we should use our experiences to strengthen us towards continual learning and growing, so that when we fight for our causes, we have positive ammunition to back it up.

all this to say that we have all (citizens, police, other) been in a bad place whether it's with our words, actions, or other. but it's not where we were, it's where we are going (up) that matters.

To MyThoughts:

You wrote an excellent and inspiring post. I believe you are correct in pointing out that at some point in our lives, it's likely that everyone has experienced some kind of discrimination, and it's how we deal with it that counts.

Thank you SO much for encouraging everyone to attend these meetings, to learn and to share ANY concerns if anything comes up during the 4 weeks between meetings.

The dialog has been so useful, & I've learned something at each meeting, and passed on information to others.

Palo Alto seems to me now, like a smaller & friendlier town. Getting to know the folks in leadership at the PAPD, through these meetings, has been fruitful.

I'm white and have been stopped twice for doing nothing.

Once outside an OPEN store where the officer thought she had a reason to run me for wants/warrants and once with my camera near that dump Lytton Plaza where the cop asked me why I was taking pix at 11pm.

Because I want to? He would have spent his time better citing the endless litterbugs down there or figuring out why the ratty 40 year olds are hanging out with 15 year olds.

maybe I should have started jumping around and screaming when the cop asked me for ID outside the store.

They eat their own as well, after the incident on Stanford Ave, offcr Perryman was hung out to dry by the rest of PAPD and lateraled to another PD

[Post removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]

Hi Dave - I found your post interesting. Yes, what is wrong w/taking pix @ night? Um, nothing at all! It seems to me that a lot more men than women get stopped for no good reason, regardless of race, and then of course non-white men.

How did you handle it w/the officer when you were taking the pix? How did you handle it outside the store? Just curious, because I have heard this type of thing about men being stopped in downtown PA a lot more than in the past.

Do the commenter who asked about drivers on Fordham and the Indy 500 comparison: that is EAST Palo Alto, where I live. That is a concern for our Dept., not Palo Alto, and doesn't have much to do with racial profiling but thank you for again finding a way to criticize my community when its not the subject!

Dave,

Do you have some proof or examples of Ofc. Perryman being "hung out to dry" or is this her posting under a different name?