yes, driving while black is still risky

Columnist Leonard Pitts is right to be worried about the treatment his young-adult sons get from police in Prince George's County, Maryland. There is a track record there, including one story Pitts tells about his son being cited for having his windshield blocked. The blockage? One of those dumb tree-shaped air fresheners.

I've heard similar stories from enough black friends -- professionals driving nice cars -- who while out and about doing their routine, have been pulled over repeatedly for "offenses" that likely would have been ignored if Jackie Chan or I were driving.

Dear Mr. Policeman. "Being black" or even "being young, black, and male" isn't "probable cause."

Is it any wonder that Americans and residents of Middle Eastern heritage are so concerned? At least most black Americans don't risk being called an "enemy combatant" and locked up without trial.