ive been going on these long walks since i quit smoking cigarettes in 2011. miles and miles, in three different states. ive never been stopped by the police on these walks--not even once--until 12/14, when this hilliard cop stopped me on a path outside my apt around 11pm and told me i had displayed suspicious behavior. i asked what he meant but he wouldn’t say, just told me to take my hands out of my pockets. said some things on his radio. he patted me down for safety, ran my name through his computer, and, after informing me that i hadnt broken any laws, he said i could go. i was cautious, uncharacteristically polite. those of you who have seen me interact with the police know that deference isnt exactly my preferred mode. then, yesterday, at around 7:30-8p, i was stopped again, this time in new albany. we interacted with each other politely enough--the video reveals as much--but again i cant figure out what suspicious behavior impelled this team of cops (five cars converged on me at first) to stop and interrogate me. i passed plenty of folks walking on the sidewalks last night. my phones memory was full so i wasnt able to record the real gems: the older cop laughed when i mentioned john crawford and spoke over me when i tried to explain the nature of structural racism, my suspicion of it at work. when this cop asked whether he could search me (i guess thats an improvement over mr hilliard, right?) i said no, asked whether he would construe as much as probable cause. his answer: what do you think? [umm… i think you’re a white cop with a gun and some buddies who will corroborate whatever story you tell, so tf does it matter what i think?] i was also unable to record the story the first officer told me, to justify the stop--that “a civilian” called the police because someone matching my exact description was harassing his babys mama. you can explicate that [fiction] on your own. i dont want to say that folks like me experience the same kind of targeting that killed john crawford, mike brown, kajieme powell, eric garner, tamir rice, so many others. ive played with toy guns outside before--in new albany, even--and i looked white enough that these pigs didnt gun me down. for me this kind of explicit profiling has been largely restricted to airports and airplanes. but i’m starting to sense it elsewhere; i think its growing, expanding. i think people should know.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 03:20:16 +0000
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