RACE
Not-So-Awful Police Stories
When you are Black, even normal interactions with law enforcement can be a source of trauma
A few weeks ago, I was pulled over by a police officer. I haven’t received a ticket for a moving violation in decades, so I couldn’t imagine why this was happening.
The policeman, a young Asian fellow, explained that I was being ticketed, not for speeding or reckless driving, but for violating a rule I’d never heard of. I expressed my displeasure to the officer for what, in my opinion, was an unnecessary traffic stop. The officer behaved normally, but despite that, a voice inside my head said,
“Hey dumbass, this is how Black people get shot by the police.”
I heeded my mental alarm bell and accepted the ticket without further comment. A few days and four hundred dollars later, I had the violation dropped, so at least my auto insurance premium wouldn’t go through the roof.
Like a lot of Black men in America, I’ve had numerous encounters with law enforcement. Despite not being a criminal, I’ve been stopped more times than I can count. In the past, I’ve written about some of these incidents.
Like the time a group of cops scared the bejeezus out of me and my high school girlfriend, or the…
