My name is Carlos Robins. At the age of 21, I joined the Los Angeles Police Department. I was apart of the LAPD for 3 years before I was stopped and racially profiled by officers within my department, the 77th division gang officers. After the detention, I was allowed to keep my job but chose to resign so that I can shed light on this issue. During the three years I’ve worked for the LAPD, I’ve noticed a pattern that many of us who grew up in south LA can attest to either witnessing or being apart of. On many traffic stops where officers stopped a group of young black men and ordered them all to get out the car. The officers then hand cuffed them, searched them, then attempted to find reasons to get into the vehicle the young men were traveling in. I’ve never been on a traffic stop where the same has happened to a group of white young men or Asian young men. This is modern day “slave patrol” and a demonstration of the “black codes” which started being enforced in the 1800’s. They see us, they stop us and ask us to identify ourselves, show them our paperwork and ask what we’re out doing? Where are we coming from and where we’re going? I grew up in south central LA and I’m proud of it. Before I became a police officer, I was illegally detained twice under similar circumstances. Officers see a young black male in south central and assume he may be committing some type of crime so they illegally detain him. This call to disband 77th division gang unit is a step toward the type of police reform we need. It’s also a step toward us getting the same respect and treatment that white and Asian citizens get from law enforcement. Lastly, this is an opportunity for us to organize and come together for a bigger purpose. If you have issues with law enforcement and believe we need reform,  sign this petition so that we can start to demand officers give south central citizens respect. If we don’t get this petition approved, I fear that officers who conduct themselves in unlawful ways will never stop doing so. And that our children and grandchildren we grow up receiving the same treatment.