While the concern about profiling is valid, this wasn't profiling, nor fitting "someone's idea of a suspect." It was a search for a particular suspect with a certain description, in the area of Tremont street. This trivializes what actual racial stereotyping is by confusing it with fact based investigation.

If a man fitting your description was in the area, you are not being racially profiled. You were stopped because the guy they were looking for looked like you, not because they were looking to bother black men. This is the most idiotic piece of writing I've read in a long time.

I think the phrase the officer and presumptive gentleman was looking for should have been: "I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you, sir; have a nice day."

I'm kind of glad this happened to you because you can shine some light on what young (and apparently not so young) black males go through in Boston all the time. The description was for a black male in his 40s. You said you have braids. The description did not contain any reference to braids therefore you did not meet the description because if someone were describing you they would have mentioned braids. On another note, I wonder why no one is questioning the fact that the state police opened fire on the Neponset River Bridge at rush hour?

I think you need to re-title your piece. "Stopped for Fitting the Description of a Suspect" This, as others have pointed out, had nothing to do with being black or racial profiling. I think it's irresponsible to characterize it that way.

"Stopped for being black" is a bit much. You were stopped because the officer had a vague description of the suspect. "A black male in his 40's". The police traced the possible suspect's whereabouts via a cell phone tower to the general area where you were walking. They had a vague description, the general location, and a name of the person. You were stopped by an officer who found you in the area, fitting the description. So, he stopped and asked you for your name and I.D. to confirm whether or not you were the suspect. You were not the suspect, and you were allowed to go on your way. Yes, you were 'stopped for being black', because the suspect was described as a black man on Tremont St., where you were. I guess that makes me 'stopped for being white' when a cruiser pulled up alongside of me in South Boston asking me my name and where I had just come from. In that case, the police were looking for a young white male. I showed the officers my I.D., and was right in front of my house, and they went on their way. Was I 'racially profiled' because I was a young white male, and that is what they were looking for? No, I was just a young white male in the area of where the police were looking.

You people who don't like this story are missing the point. The problem is you can give a vague description of a black suspect and every single black person is now a suspect. If the vague decription was a medium built white man in his mid 30s do you think every single white man walking down Tremont Street would be considered a suspect? Nope. For some reason black people and other minorities are always looked at as a group while white people are looked at as individuals.

I will also say, if a random person in a van calls me over I'm telling them to get lost.

are you saying, B. BuckNaked that if the police were on a manhunt for a suspect who had just pulled a hit and run on a state trooper (as happened in this case) and they found that it was a white guy in his 40's who had been traced via cellphone towers to Tremont Street that the cops wouldn't question/stop any white person because they wouldn't be considered a suspect? I find that ridiculous.

It would appear that racial profiling is also a concern when it comes to affirmative action. Haven't heard any complaints here.

So, Adrian Walker was stopped in front of Suffolk University Law School on Tremont St. Mr. Walker, why does your piece fail to mention that the actual suspect they were looking for was apprehended just a 2 minute walk from where you were, at the St. Francis House Homeless Shelter?

While I feel for Adrian, no one wants to be harassed, so much of the debate about profiling misses the bigger picture. The problem is not that blacks are profiled. The problem is that blacks commit a disproportionate share of the crimes. The problem that needs to be solved is this one-why are blacks profiled? If Asians committed as much crime, they would be profiled too, as would any person with a physical characteristic which matches that of the majority of the people who commit the crimes. NEW PARAGRAPH: Racial profiling will go away when the profile no longer matches.

The suspect also was reported as having dreadlocks. You wear dreadlocks, you're also an African-American male in your 40's. If they didn't stop you they'd be asleep at the switch. You can't have it both ways.

I think that this kind of piece is useful for provoking dialogue about race. Clearly many of the previous posters lack any sense of identification with the black experience that Mr Walker is trying to convey. In fact, his account elicited outright hostility from some. Imagine that! A black man dares to be troubled by being detained on the street for no apparent reason, and then has the audacity to write about it. Perhaps the officer did have some justification based on the general description and the cellphone positioning, but I fail to see why the encounter couldn't have gone a little differently. Perhaps it would have been less offensive if the officer had treated Mr Walker with the respect that any law-abiding citizen expects as his due. How about: "Sorry to have troubled you. Thank you for your time!" With respect to his justification, I walk in that area every day. There are literally thousands of black men in the Boylston/Washington/Tremont area. I wonder how many men were beckoned to his van to produce ID.

Thanks for the analysis, professor. Perhaps you could now enlighten us on why "blacks commit a disproportionate share of the crimes." I would be very interested in your take on the underlying causality.

You know that braids and dreadlocks are distinctly different hairstyles, correct? You also know that the suspect who was arrested near St Francis House was 25 years old, not in his 40s, correct? So the profile was any black male between 20 and 50 with a haircut other than close-cropped.

If they were looking for a black male in his 40s in that area, how was it that they arrested a 25-year old?

Pretty dubious inference. But I get where you're coming from.

Apparently Mr Walker is in his 40s. The suspect who was arrested is 25.

I'm confused ... are you saying the police made up a story about a middle aged African American suspect in the Tremont street area? This doesn't sound like a case of stopping a black man for no reason, but because he fit a very specific description. It didn't sound like the police officer was rude, or detained you longer than required either.

You are indeed confused. They arrested a 25 year old man after questioning Mr Walker, who, as you note, is in his 40s. "A very specific description". How would you define "very specific" in this context? Mr Walker is trying to make a point but apparently many readers are unable or unwilling to grasp that point.

I am white and was once stopped four times in a six block period because I matched the description of a dark haired white girl carrying a paper bag...I was walking home from the grocery store. I fit the profile...it would have been stupid of them not to stop me and even stupider to stop a couple of black women and maybe a few men to not be seen as racially profiling. That was the description! Grow up...people commit crimes, sometimes near you and sometimes they look like you. If you exclude race from every description will we someday have to exclude gender? Somebody did it...good plan.

So Mr Walker how would you have the police check out suspects that fit the description of a violent crime? For example Do you think a police officer would not stop a 6ft white or hispanic male in a blue trench coat that just robbed somebody at gun point and was in the general vicinity? I think its time to stop race baiting , there are examples of racism that should be exposed but not a hard working cop who was doing his job.

Probably as many as fit this description: "We were tracking a cellphone signal near Tremont Street and we had a description of an African-American male in his mid-40s,'' Linskey told me." I would assume that black men both young and elderly were probably not detained by police, since they didn't fit that description.