Any time a law is passed that gives license to the intolerant, it is a cause for worry. That being said, it should be no wonder to you why I am alarmed at the possibility that a Sus law could be in effect in London in the near future. If it is happening there then there is a strong possibility that one day it could be passed and enforced in the U.S.A. as well.

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According to a new proposal, British police would be allowed to implement the ‘Sus law,’ which was scrapped in the 1980s after the alleged targeting of black people by police led to race riots in London, Birmingham and Liverpool. The Sus law was the informal name for ‘a stop and search law’ in Britain that permitted a police officer to act on suspicion, or ’sus’, alone.

The original law stated that police were allowed to stop and search a car over the suspicion that the driver was engaging in illegal activities. At the time, there was no direct mention of race being a characteristic used in justifying suspicion. However, the new proposed law will allow for police officers to also consider race when exercising a stop and search without suspicion. The proposed amendments to the law in particular are what could lead to possible prejudice acts by police officers.

The controversy stems from Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. This section allows for a police officer to stop and search without suspicion in a designated area for a 24-hour period, the paper reports. “Although currently, it does not give any ground for targeting a person on the basis of race, the Home Office’s suggested amendments to the guidance says that while officers ‘must take particular care’ not to discriminate, there ‘may be circumstances where it is appropriate for officers to take account of an individual’s ethnic origin in selecting persons and vehicles to be stopped”.

If this law is passed, it will give police officers the authority to exercise racism while on duty. Although there are police officers who already currently use their own racist values while on duty, passing this law will defend their right to do so. It no longer will be an act of disrespect or go against their supposed moral codes as police officers. Basically, passing this law would make the harassment of Black drivers by police officers acceptable and expected.

Call me a cynic but I have little faith that every police officer in London will be able to separate their own personal beliefs and prejudices from the Sus law. The lines between the Sus law and their own bigoted beliefs will often be blurred. The Sus law will give them the license to defend their behavior. Currently, civil right activist Jessie Jackson is in London in an effort to prevent this law from being passed.

Luckily, this law is not up for debate here in the states as of yet, but if it is passed in London, then who is to say that the U.S. will not be next? We already have our fair share of driving while Black incidents with Police Officers. This would be Pandora’s box.

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