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I need any information anyone has about Long Hair and Beard Profiling by Police or Judges Law Enforcement in General. Any litigation information or Case Citations, Known Judicial Decisions or ACLU or other Civil Rights Litigation would be appreciated. I live in Missouri in the OZARKS region and have many, many times been harrassed at my Farm on the Road and many other places because I wear my hair and beard like it was worn during Colonial America. Your HELP is very much needed. I am planning A Federal Class Action Suit, Please write me with your stories.
You can look-up information about the Para-Dice Riders Motorcycle Club who used to be harassed by Canadian police.
Just an observation:
Police harassment of long haired men is nothing new. I have had long hair since the 1960's and at that time it was really bad. By the 1970's most people had long hair. I live in the northeast in a Boston suburb and when I attended high school here in the 1970's nobody ever bothered any body about hair length.
I noticed however, that when I moved to Florida in the 1980's the attitude was a little different. I was stopped many times by the police and I remember many instances of descrimination but unfortunately there is not law that protects long haired men from descrimination unless your religion requires you to have long hair.
Also a note on how it all started. Once upon a time a couple of thousand years ago in a far of land called Rome (and previously in Greece and perhaps other countries as well) it was determined by military leaders that it was dangerous for a soldier to have long hair. It makes conveniant handles. Since soldiers were popular heroes and every one wanted to be like their heroes men started to cut their hair short. Girls didn't because girls weren't soldiers (for the most part).
During the middle ages men in Europe generaly emulated the Romans and Greeks so their hair style was frequently short as also. Well of course after a few centuries of emulating Romans and Greeks and we men forgot that there was any other choice. Then came the renaissance and the reformation and mens hair styles became long again. With the American revolution and French revolution came a clasical revival and it wasn't long before men's hair began to shorten again. By the Victorian era men's hair had come full circle again and short was in. World wars I and II and Korea all ocurring in less than 40 years popularized military style haircuts.
Then came the 1960's and all that that brought and hair got long again but this time long hair was associated with rebelion and so the police of that era (who were all raised during the short hair 1920's-1950's and therefore had short hair) regarded all men with long hair as undesireables. Of course by the 1970's long hair on men had become so universal that even some police had long hair and the trend towards intollarance had a reprieve.
As the popularity of long hair on men wained with the 1990's those that did not fit the profile of "normal" were looked upon with scrutiny. Men with long hair are still thought of as somewhat rebelious by many people. Just ask my mom. She's thinks I have long hair just to make her uncomfortable and for no other reason. I have yet to be able to convince her that she did not fail in some way when she raised me and that I am not rebelling against her with long hair. I am 41 and she is in her (O.K. I'm not saying my mom's age).
I believe that hair style is very regional. In the south and midwest, prairie and probably right up to the rocky mountains long hair in men is regarded as un-Christian, rebelious and even lazy. In the northeast, California, Hawaii and parts of Florida long hair is more common so less criticized. Bottom line. If you look different than every one else you will be singled out. If you don't want to be singeled out live were people are either more liberal or in a larger city where there is more tollarance. Rural areas are almost always 50 years behind when it comes to new ideas so that puts your area at about the early 1950's.
Another note:
Many Christians believe that long hair on a man is a sin. They believe that when a man grows his hair long he is trying to look like a woman. They fail to regard two important facts. First is that men have had long hair for far more of history and in far more of the world than they have had short and that long hair is NOT a secondary sexual charactoristic. And they forget that Jesus and the apostles all had long hair.
Ok that's it. Lecture over