Black Reverend Accuses South Burlington Police of Racial Profiling

Reverend Rico Diamond met the press purposely wearing one hundred dollar bills to underscore his claim that he was the innocent victim of police racial profiling. "A classic example of racial profiling," says Rev. Rico Diamond of Burlington, "We are going to call for the suspension of Officer Jack O'Connor and that we are going to ask for an internal investigation." Diamond says O'Connor and another South Burlington officer showed up at his room at a South Burlington hotel last week. Police claim they got a call complaining of suspicious activity. He says they left only after they seized more than five-thousand dollars cash he had been carrying to pay for Easter activities at his church. Diamond produced the paperwork he says proves the cash was legally obtained. Diamond says he is certain that Officer Jack O'Connor targeted him only because he is a black man. "And if I so desire to carry cash on me I will carry cash. And just as I told officer O'Connor I do not think he would have treated me that way if the pigmentation of my skin was different," says Diamond. South Burlington police said they were responding to a report of suspicious activity, but refused to elaborate. "There were no drugs found in the room, but, again, I'm not going to comment anymore on the investigation," said South Burlington Police Chief Lealand Graha[more] and [more]