I grew up in Atlantic Beach, FL. This is the opposite side of town from Al Letson. I was about 13 or 14 years old. It was one of those school breaks, where we really had nothing to do but run the streets and hang out with friends. I got a call from a friend earlier in the day that a bunch of us would hang out at the beach. Living closer to the intercoastal waterway (ie not anywhere near an actual beach and in a neighborhood ridiculed by those living on the good side), I had to ride my bike down there. My friend Leon (not his real name) saw me. We both had the same friends, so I invited him along. We took turns riding on the handle bars as we trekked down to this dudes house we knew. We hung out all nite. There had to have been about 12 of us, guys and girls. We ran up and down the sand. As we all came up from the public beach access, Leon was on my handlebars. Suddenly, a cop car rolled up. He interrogated us for our addresses. The kids that lived in the area (or lied and said they did) were told to go home. Leon and I, when we admitted to being from the other side of Atlantic Beach, were swiftly put in cop car. My bike was thrown in the trunk. We were taken to the station. And now this is why I am posting this. For those of you who see whats happening in Ferguson and say Black people just need to follow the law or Well Ive been picked up by the cops before, big deal! or Its not about race its about the law! None of us kids were breaking the law that night. However, only two of us were taken into custody. They accused Leon and I of smashing mail boxes while riding down the street on my bike. This was not true, but it was what they used to be able to take us in. While two of us were taken in, only one of us left that night. That was me. See the officer couldnt reach my parents by phone, and so he released my bike to me and told me I was lucky. Leon, however, not so much. He was placed in a holding cell. He wasnt allowed to leave on his own. They didnt try to call his parents. He was told he would have to wait until the morning. When he protested, said I was being let go, he was told to Shut the F up. When I protested and told him we came together, the cop told me to Haul a** before you get picked up again. As a group of friends out that night, none of us broke the law. We were all teenagers. We were all running the streets. however, Leon and I were the only two from the wrong side. But Leon, he was different. He was the only black kid with us that night.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 22:10:58 +0000
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