Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory got into some PR hot water last week when, reacting to the arrest of a Pakistani immigrant taking pictures of Charlotte skyscrapers, he suggested that among the suspicious things the public might watch for is someone “dressed in layers.” Immediately, some hotheads jumped to the conclusion that McCrory was talking about traditional Middle-Eastern or Asian dress, and thus exhibiting a sort of cultural bias.
Totally unfair to Pat. Obviously, wearing robes or turbans can’t serve as an identifier for dangerous terrorists: how many 9/11 hijackers were wearing such distinguishing garb? What he was really talking about was someone wearing, say, an overcoat in August. That might well be grounds for suspicion, at least coupled with other noticeable cues or behaviors, as it could be covering up a weapon or bomb.
The kind of hypersensitivity that Pat elicited does no one any good.
