Rob Brown Lawsuiit

Sean Connery & Rob Brown in Finding Forrester

We are always sorry to hear about what appears to be racial profiling--and that is the case in the story of actor Rob Brown, best known as Treme.  The actor purchased a $1300 watch from Macy's and was accused of using a bogus credit card despite having even his birth certificate.  He was led away handcuffed to a holding cell, until they recognized who he really was--and then in a magnanimous gesture, drove him to a graduation ceremony where he presented the watch to his mother. 

Here's what caught me.  I was in the other room getting a cup of coffee.  I vaguely heard the story, but not the names.  When I heard Brown's voice, I immediately said, "That's the student from Finding Forrester...."  Is it really?  Had I recognized the voice without the face?  The point is that I never realized who that actor really was who played opposite Sean Connery.  A quick google of the movie revealed that it was Rob Brown in that very early role--when I was so impressed that I remembered his voice. 

That is the unconscionable evil in racial profiling.  There is a profile of the likely suspect--a high percentage type of person which then leads to the "stop and frisk" laws.  Despite his identification, Brown reports that authorities would not even look at it until he was behind bars.  A much less notorious event happened in my life.  I was pulled over for going under the speed limit and "hugging" the center line.  It was also 12midnight and that is the "type" or profile for the DUI driver trying not to look suspicious.  Once I got out of the car--it was crystal clear that I was sober.

Who do we see in our neighbor?  How do we size people up?  Jesus was constantly after the connection between those who appeared to be down and out on society's margins and the children of God.  His was a profiling for the better. "Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these, you have done it to me." .  (Matthew 25:40)  Maybe it takes recognizing the voice and profile of Jesus in those around us -- calling us to our neighbor.