Prometheus 6

Suburban Cops, Tough Tactics
In area towns, nuisance laws result in a disproportionate number of arrests of African Americans, often by nearly all-white police forces.
By Mark Fazlollah, Dylan Purcell and Keith Herbert
INQUIRER STAFF WRITERS

The Rev. Reggie Brooks, pastor of a storefront church in the toughest part of Pottstown, once counted himself as a strong supporter of a police crackdown on the pushers and hoodlums who tormented his neighborhood.

That ended on the day his 14-year-old nephew and a friend were hauled out of a neighborhood barbershop last year as suspected drug dealers.

After ordering the teenagers to put their hands in the air and spread their legs, the police found no drugs. They left without an apology.

"There was a time when there was a relationship between the police and the people," said Brooks, who is African American. "Now, I don't think the cops respect the community."