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NYTimes: With Hair Pat-Downs, Complaints of Racial Bias

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NYTimes: With Hair Pat-Downs, Complaints of Racial Bias

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Old Aug 17, 2011, 7:56 am
  #1  
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NYTimes: With Hair Pat-Downs, Complaints of Racial Bias

TSA's incredibly stupid policies have yet more unintended consequences. I am happy for any type of lawsuit, including a civil rights lawsuit, that would smack TSA down a little.


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/16/business/natural-hair-pat-downs-warrant-a-rethinking.html


The saddest part of the story: "Ms. Nance says she filed an online complaint but has not heard back from the agency." Good luck, lady.
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Old Aug 17, 2011, 9:30 am
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They'd respond, of course, but it's just that they are much too busy taking complaints seriously and treating passengers with sensitivity and respect. I hope she understands.
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Old Aug 17, 2011, 9:31 am
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I'm not an NYT subscriber so I couldn't figure out how to comment on this article, but I would like to assure Mr. Sharkey that white women get their hair patted down too!

Every time I opt out at ORD, my short brown hair gets thorough attention from the TSA. It is humiliating and completely unnecessary.
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Old Aug 17, 2011, 9:34 am
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Originally Posted by KCWatORD
Every time I opt out at ORD, my short brown hair gets thorough attention from the TSA. It is humiliating and completely unnecessary.
There have been multiple reports of bald men having their scalps groped as well.
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Old Aug 17, 2011, 2:45 pm
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Originally Posted by Caradoc
There have been multiple reports of bald men having their scalps groped as well.
Or me on the one time my orthopedic shoes alarmed the ETD and I had to remove them along with my socks only to have my bare feet (n.b. bare feet) scanned with a HHMD
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Old Aug 17, 2011, 3:01 pm
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Originally Posted by KCWatORD
I'm not an NYT subscriber so I couldn't figure out how to comment on this article, but I would like to assure Mr. Sharkey that white women get their hair patted down too!

Every time I opt out at ORD, my short brown hair gets thorough attention from the TSA. It is humiliating and completely unnecessary.
I concur - my stick straight, flat hair gets it too.
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Old Aug 17, 2011, 3:42 pm
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Originally Posted by MrsGraupel
I concur - my stick straight, flat hair gets it too.
I'm sure it does, but that doesn't speak to the relative frequency of incidence which may show that racist bias exists.

The TSA is certainly not free of bigots -- it wasn't before and it still isn't -- or of those acting to please even bigots.
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Old Aug 17, 2011, 5:12 pm
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Note that the article points out that the hair pat-down happened AFTER the lady had already been through and cleared the AIT scanner... "a T.S.A. officer insisted on publicly patting down her hair after she had already gone though a full-body scan without setting off any alarm."

I think that might be the problem right there. She did NOT opt-out (like KCWatORD did) and they still pulled her aside to paw through her hair, which makes no sense at all.

Given that this happened in San Antonio, I would really, really like to have SATTSO weigh in on this situation.
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Old Aug 18, 2011, 9:02 am
  #9  
 
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Originally Posted by KCWatORD
I'm not an NYT subscriber so I couldn't figure out how to comment on this article, but I would like to assure Mr. Sharkey that white women get their hair patted down too!

Every time I opt out at ORD, my short brown hair gets thorough attention from the TSA. It is humiliating and completely unnecessary.
If you're willing to talk to him, give him your phone number. He frequently does follow-up columns based on reader responses. His email is: [email protected]
clbfly is offline  


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