ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A deputy asked a Black female attorney for identification Monday while entering an Orange County Courthouse courtroom to verify that she was supposed to be there.
She and the other attorney there, a white male, believe that happened because of her race.
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Alisia Adamson Profit, who is Black, has been practicing law in Orange County for 13 years. On Monday, a deputy stopped her and asked who she was.
“After I told him I was an attorney, he then said ‘I need to see some ID,’ so I reached into my purse and I gave him my credentials showing I was an attorney,” she said.
Attorney Adam Pollack was also in the courtroom and said he witnessed the commotion between Adamson Profit and the deputy.
“After she sat down I turned to her and said, ‘What was that about? I didn’t have to show my identification, the other attorney didn’t have to show their identification, and that is when she looked at me and said, ‘That is because of the color of my skin,’” Pollack said.
Pollack said at that moment he felt he needed to do something, which in this case meant bringing the incident up to the judge and getting it on the public record.
“I recall saying to the court ... ‘If a deputy is going to ask an attorney for identification, they should ask all the attorneys for identification -- not just the Black attorney. And I would appreciate if you would take this matter up,’” Pollack said.
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Adamson Profit said this isn’t the first time it’s happened. She said it’s known among African American attorneys to always have your ID ready when you enter certain courthouses.
Channel 9 reached out to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office about the incident involving one of their deputies, and they said the matter is being reviewed.