Former Obama aide and actor Kal Penn of Harold & Kumar fame says he stands with the South Asian American community in its opposition to racial profiling, reports Colorlines.
Penn was responding to criticism about his tweets defending the New York Police Department’s controversial stop and frisk policy.
South Asian Americans Leading Together or SAALT issued a statement signed by more than 30 community leaders
The statement said in part:
“Stopping, interrogating, detaining or searching people based on characteristics such as their actual or perceived race, national origin, immigration status or religion is racial profiling. In a democracy, there has to be a reason to stop and search someone. Being a person of color isn’t a good enough reason. “
In response Penn wrote:
“I support the statement from South Asian community leaders on the impact of racial profiling. I have and still do oppose racial profiling in any form. I want to thank SAALT and the Applied Research Center for reaching out and starting to educate and dialogue with me about these issues. I plan on being in regular contact with these great community leaders and allies around the issue of racial profiling, and to dialogue with and engage others about it. It’s important for all our communities to be educated, informed and mobilized.”
Just exactly how Penn thinks racial profiling is different from stop and frisk is unclear.
You can read SAALT’s entire statement in Colorlines
