by Randall Kennedy

About the author: Randall Kennedy is a professor at Harvard Law School and the author of Race, Crime, and the Law.

Consider the following case study in the complex interaction of race and law enforcement. An officer from the Drug Enforcement Administration [DEA] stops and questions a young man who has just stepped off a flight to Kansas City from Los Angeles. The officer has focused on this man for several reasons. Intelligence reports indicate that black gangs in Los Angeles are flooding the Kansas City area with illegal drugs, and the man in question was on a flight originating in Los Angeles. Young, toughly dressed, and appearing very nervous, he paid for his ticket in cash, checked no luggage, brought two carry-on bags, and made a beeline for a taxi upon deplaning. Oh, and...