Legal Question in Civil Rights Law in New York

Is that a Racism?

Hi, there,

Yesterday, I was pulled off by two police officers in Albany, NY. I accidentally entered a one-way street at that time. After looking at my driver license, one of the officers suddenly asked me:'' Are you going to do laundry?'' It is so out of blue, and I was totally confused. I took a look at my backseat, and only saw my girlfriend's scarf. So I replied:'' No. That is just my girlfriend's scarf''. And the officers smirked when they heard this.

Later that night when I talked to my American friends, they told me Laundry, like cooking, and childcare, is the stereotype of Chinese or Asians. And that is a really bad joke!!

Yes, I am from China, but no, I won�t stand this joke. Please let me know your opinions on this.

Yours sincerely,

--name removed--


Asked on 11/20/06, 4:28 pm

2 Answers from Attorneys
Stephen Loeb Law Office of Stephen R. Loeb

Re: Is that a Racism?

You can register a complaint against the officer, many cities have a Police Review Board. You may need to do some research to find the appropriate venue to make a complaint but if you believe the remark was racist, and it sounds like it might have been you would be well within your rights to file a complaint.

Should you like to discuss this or any other legal matter, you can e-mail me for more information about low cost face-to-face, on-line, or a telephone consultation with a lawyer in our office.

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Answered on 11/21/06, 10:16 am
Carlos Gonzalez Gonzalez Legal Associates PLLC

Re: Is that a Racism?

There are various options which you may have. 1) filing a complaint with the police department, where usually VERY little happens. I know because I wokred within the NYPD handling exactly these types of cases. 2) discussing this case with an attorney experienced on these matters to see if a lawsuit is appropriate.

Feel free to contact my office on this matter, as i mentioned I am quite experienced in this area. 2127098303

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Answered on 11/22/06, 5:06 am


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