A black man living in Michigan was inside his office when he received a call from the police department, telling him to go to the station to surrender to the crime he just committed. At the time, he thought this call was a prank made by some of his friends or teens messing around. Unfortunately, it was not.
Facial recognition wrongfully accused a black man
New York Times reported Wednesday, June 24, a story of a man that was said to be the first black guy who got wrongfully accused, thanks to the police's failed facial recognition.
Robert Julian-Borchak Williams, a black man, living quietly with his wife in a private subdivision in Michigan, was arrested in January by the Detroit Police Department over a 'felony warrant' and 'larceny' cases filed against him.
When he first received the call from the police officer, he did not believe it. He thought it was a prank. Nevertheless, Williams knows to himself that he did not commit any violations of federal law.
However, when he was heading home, police cars stopped him on the driveway. Williams was ordered to step away from the vehicle and was handcuffed by the Detroit police. His wife, then went outside, to ask about the filed charges.
Police said to his wife to 'Google it' and heard the felony charges against her husband.
When they reached the interrogation room, the detectives asked, "When's the last time you went to a Shinola store?" This store offers watches, leather goods, and other worthy materials. Williams has no recollection of getting inside that place since 2014.
"You think all Black men look alike?"
After this, Williams was presented with a picture of a man shoplifting the store. He was asked if he recognizes his face on the image. Though the photo was blurry, he knew that he's not the man in the picture.
"No, this is not me," Mr. Williams said. "You think all Black men look alike?"
At this time, he insisted that he was not involved in any crimes. He was released until that evening. During his stay, Williams heard one of the investigators said that "I guess the computer got it wrong."
What's racial profiling?
The issue of racial profiling has been one of the most controversial issues in America. This problem occurs when authorities use race, religion, or ethnicity to locate suspects.
Amazon, Microsoft, and IBM companies already limit the usage of facial recognition for police departments. This was after advocates and the masses accused most police officers of wrongfully accusing 'people of color' when a certain crime happened in a city.