by Javier Manjarres
U.S. Representative Corrine Brown (D), aka Congresswoman “Sandbag”, is back to calling her plays straight out of the Democrat Party playbook- this time, it’s the ol’ reliable race card. Rep. Brown wrote a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder asking that he look into the ‘unorthodox’ licensing inspections carried out by Orange County, Florida Sheriff deputies.
In a letter distributed by a civil-rights group, U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown has asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate a series of unorthodox licensing inspections of Orange County barbershops carried out by deputies and state licensing inspectors this summer and fall.
In the letter, which was addressed to Attorney General Eric Holder distributed Friday by the Florida Civil Rights Association, Brown, a Jacksonville Democrat whose district reaches parts of the Orlando area, said she “was very concerned and highly disturbed” the manner in which the joint operations were carried out.
The sweeps of the minority-run Orange County barbershops, including major operations on Aug. 21 and Sept. 17, and a smaller operation on Oct. 8, resulted in 35 arrests on “barbering without an active license” charge — which is rarely used to make physical arrests.
Brown cited “allegations of racial profiling … intrusive, unjustifiable and extended searches unrelated to allegedly unlicensed activities” as well as “unreasonable detentions and searches of persons and personal property” among her concerns about the controversial inspections.
“Every citizen has a right to expect that law enforcement is present to insure the safety of its citizens, and that such law enforcement follows prudent and acceptable law enforcement procedures,” Brown said. “However, the manner of these “raids” paint a picture of overkill and perhaps a disregard for due process.”
‘El Sharko’ enjoyed watching the feel-good movie “Barbershop” back in the day with Ice-Cube and Cedric the Entertainer, but it looks like Congresswoman Brown is clearly trying to get some free publicity and demagogue an investigation that she probably doesn’t know or care to get the specific facts about. Rather than quietly inquire with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office about the background of their investigation and its subsequent arrests, Congresswoman Brown’s letter to the Attorney General not only gets her free press, the missive goes right to a sympathetic ear- this is the type of case that could set up very neatly for Attorney General Holder’s racial grievance mentality and his heavily politicized and radicalized Department of Justice.
If Holder does turn substantial federal attention to this case, it’s a pretty good bet that the assumption of overreach and bias will be on the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and any suspicions the OCSO may have had regarding illicit drug activity or any other criminal activity at these barbershops that prompted these searches will be likely conveniently characterized as “racial bias” on the part of law enforcement. We’ll be watching as developments warrant…
6 Responses to “Congresswoman Corrine Brown Flashes the Race Card”
The congresswoman will have difficulty with the charges of racism, as the Orange County Sheriff, and his wife, the Orlando Chief of Police, are also black, and very law abiding citizens.
Having been raised in Jacksonville it is beyond my wildest imagination that this crook keeps getting elected. Hopefully the election districts will be redrawn and she will be out of there the next election. If she has done anything significant in her district I would be shocked.
This has nothing to do with race. This has to do with power and control. The shreriff used the Department of Business and Professional Regulation to conduct warrantless raids. If there was a suspicision of illegal activity then get a warrant.
“The sweeps of the minority-run Orange County barbershops, including major operations on Aug. 21 and Sept. 17, and a smaller operation on Oct. 8, resulted in 35 arrests on “barbering without an active license” charge — which is rarely used to make physical arrests.”
These people will have their due process and be able to argue their case in court. I really don’t see whose liberty is infringed upon by unlicensed barbering. It’s not surgery, but the gov’t wants their piece of your earnings that they get through issuing you your license to cut hair in return for money.
The recession is hitting gov’t pretty hard so they scraping the bottom of the barrel for revenue. Now if these establishments were dealing in other more lucrative and also illegal narcotics then they were pretty stupid not having their barber license up to date and visible when the local gov’t thugs showed up. Maybe that’s why they call it “dope”.
The Sheriff’s Dep’t should have taken somebody from the Health Dep’t with them when they visited these barber shops. Barbers, just like beauty salons, have to a license to operate, because of health standards. I can see it now: “Sheriff’s Office blunders, is racist”, because of these inspections and arrests. Then a “poor soul” steps foreward, who says that he caught a terrible disease from one of these unlicensed shops. Dep’t of Health, as well as the Occupational Permit Dep’t, gets dragged into court, and county pays all fees. Ms. Brown went to the highest office that she can find, to make trouble, instead of just paying a visit to the Sheriff’s Dep’t and asking what’s going on. Ms. Brown is one of the pains that we have to endure regarding race, because she wants a basis to accuse. She should stop pointing her finger at others, because she’s got three of her own pointing back at her.
again its Govt against the people –be it the shieriff or Brown (the’re both govt) in the face of the people the county looking for revinue and the Brown person looking for advantage and the little guy pays– Govt–please just go away– Oh I see –you make a living protecting us-(-just like Big Al Capone and his protection racket or like the house in Vegas cutting the pot )and can’t stop doing whats best for us.