DNA databank might be bad idea, but not for this reason
The NAACP and the ACLU teamed up to oppose the DNA databank proposal recently approved by lawmakers in the General Assembly. I agree with them that the proposal violates our civil liberties. Unfortunately, once again the two organizations have used a flawed chain of logic to voice their opposition.
The argument is that because African Americans are disproportionately represented in the prison population, the databank will be skewed toward blacks. The underlying implication is that because they are over-represented in prison, the vast majority of imprisoned blacks must have been unjustly convicted. This is why the databank is discriminatory.
Using this logic, fingerprints and other forensic clues must all be discriminatory because they implicate African- Americans more than whites, Hispanics, or Asians.
Does this attitude from the NAACP, the ACLU and others not strike anyone else as … racist?
The NAACP and the ACLU have proud histories. It’s a shame that they must tarnish those reputations with the racial insensitivity that they perceive in others.
Jason Papanikolas
Laurel
