THE EDITOR, Sir:
I AM writing this letter out of great concern. It is in regards to the type of treatment that foreign visitors who happen to be black get when they visit your island. You have police officers at the security checkpoint of the Montego Bay Interna-tional Airport, subjecting passengers to harassment because they happen to be black. The reason for me saying this is because I fell victim to this scheme.
After going through the metal detector at the airport, I was approached by a gentleman who never identified himself as a police officer. All he did was mumble his name to me and said to follow him. I only found out that he was with law enforcement when his partner produced his identification.
I was taken into a small room then my US passport was taken from me. After an intense interrogation which felt as if I was in World War II and been interrogated by the Nazis. They finally realised that I wasn't a drug smuggler or a terrorist, and I was sent on my way. I actually sat in the airport lobby and out of curiosity observed these same officers targeting people of colour.
This system of racial profiling by members of the Police Force at the airport checkpoint is a crime and the same number of whites should be stopped as well as blacks. Where I come from it is unlawful to target one race of people over the other. And these officers working at the airport in Jamaica should be given a course in discrimination and stereotyping.
I am a frequent world traveller and I have travelled the four corners of the world. And was never subjected to this sort of treatment before. And I pray no one else will.
I am, etc.,
ANDREW CAMPBELL
bob2866@aol.com
Connecticut, USA
Via Go-Jamaica
