The burden of being black

[USAcitizen]

I am posting this out of frustration of what happened to me today. I was involved in an accident where a white woman slammed into the back of my car at a red light. She was very apologetic and cooperative which helped ease the stress of the situation, but when the policeman came, I felt more like the one who cause the accident than the victim. 1st he comes to me and yells "alright, let me see your license, insurance and registration. He never asked me or any of my passengers were we alright. The hood of the woman's car was pinned under my car and my muffler was lying on the ground. He asked me in a very condescending voice to move my car a Little forward so that the woman's hood could be detached from my car. I did so and then he asked me to drive my car across the street so that it would not be in the way of the tow trunk when it came to tow her car away. At that point, I pointed out to him that my muffler was lying on the ground. He them said well, I guess you better call someone to come and get it. I stood there in total shock and angry trying to organize my thoughts when a young white cop approached me and asked were we OK. I told him that I needed to get my car towed. He told me not to worry, they were going to take care of that. It was apart of normal procedure. The nasty bigoted police officer returned with the insurance info from the other driver. I asked him for a police report. I usually get one or a police report number when involved in an accident. He told me that I did not need one. At that point my sister who was in the car with me became very angry and began yelling at the officer. Before my car was put on the tow truck the officer got inside my car and began looking around as if he were looking for something. He never got into the white woman's car. I am a 51 year old african american professional woman. There is nothing about me or my passengers that looked suspicious. We as African Americans can go through life thinking that if we do the right things and follow the rules, then we will be treated fairly. NOT SO. What scares me more is that my 19 year old son could have encountered this very same bigoted police officer and something terrible could happen to him. I was on my way to a mall that my son frequents regularly. White people just don't understand what we as blacks must go through on a daily bases. And it is not getting any better.

[angee_is_mad]

1. Just an Ordinary day

as a black person in America. Sad, but true.

[fortyfeetunder]

6. Why should Black America put up with this type of ordinary?

We went through this cr@p in the 1960's and the melting pot became a boiling cauldron of dissent before America had half a clue that maybe Blacks had civil rights after all.

In the last 25 years, I've seen a degradation of civil rights so profound that I am incensed that USAcitizen's predicament is becoming commonplace again.

If we don't curb this citizen brutality nonsense, I am afraid we will relive the 1960's all over again.

[wildeyed]

2. That is so wrong!

Is it possible to complain about the bigoted police officer? What an ass he is.

You are right about white people not understanding. I remember the first time I heard about racial profiling by police officers. I was riding in my car listening to a radio program and they started talking about the statistics. And I was thinking, "oh how horrible! That has to stop!" But it had never occurred to me on my own, as a white person, that something like that was happening on a daily basis. Just not in the realm of my experience.

Some of us try, though. I will never understand vicerally what african-americans go through in this country. But I do recognize that it is wrong and try to change it.

[USAcitizen]

4. I thought about reporting the cop

but I know that nothing will come of it.

[kwassa]

3. File a complaint with the police department

I don't know what system your city has, some have various oversight committees or means of redress, but there must be something. You certainly had plenty of witnesses.

You were guilty of Driving While Black, of course.

How a policeman could be suspicious of you when the fault was clearly with the other driver is outrageous.

[fortyfeetunder]

5. Turn this up a notch

I am sorry this event happened to you. Thank you for bringing this up.

You showed incredible restraint through your ordeal. However, you cannot let this one go in silence. And you are right, the rest of America takes for granted justice is equal under the law. I think you have to turn this event up a notch.

I hope you have the name of the officer who was so rude to you. You need to expose him for the ruthless, bigoted animal that he is.

Write out a story about your situation, and get the passengers in the car to sign it. Include dates, times, location, etc.

Make copies of it so you and your friends have it.

Then take a copy of this story, take it to your local NAACP branch so they know what is going on.

Meanwhile, I am seriously considering buying a mini tape recorder for my car just in case I ever have a similar event. The other option is to use 1 touch dialing to the phone voice mailbox to capture any conversation.

[alarcojon]

7. Outrageous

I don't know which I feel more - anger or sadness.

As a Latino male, I have had a small taste of the unfairness black Americans experience - I have certainly been profiled, hassled while white people were not, looked at with suspicion, assumed to be lazy and/or dumb, etc. I know I have not had it as bad as you, but I have never doubted that you are telling the truth.

I agree with fortyfeetunder - the NAACP should be informed of this. I also unfortunately agree with you that nothing will likely come from reporting the officer, but you never know.

[TroubleMan]

8. File a complaint, at least just to get it on record.

That way if he does do something really bad, they'll be a history to point to.

[USAcitizen]

9. I filed a complaint with his supervisor

We will see what happens next

[wildeyed]

10. Excellent.

Keep us updated.

[Brewman_Jax]

11. Good job!

nothing may happen for weeks or months, but there's a record being created.

[Brewman_Jax]

12. I was going to cite...

pages and examples of cases, trials, acquittals, justice stats, investigations, and research studies. The most damning example of the racial caste system that we have to deal with is the unfair perceptions that can be summed up simply: Black people "loot," white people "find." :(

This is supposed to be the 21st Century. :cry:

[Stand and Fight]

13. I wholeheartedly agree...

To this day I see examples of white racism all around me...

On a side note, I was curious a couple of weeks ago about rather or not there were any Black supremacy movements. You know what? I could not find any whatsoever on the Internet -- no Black, Hispanic, or Asian racist organizations. However, I found THOUSANDS of examples of active and thriving white power movements. Disgusting... In light of Katrina, it was no surprise.

[nini]

14. I'd call a local ACLU and just ask them if there's anything else

.. you should do as a 'just in case'.


I hate this crap. I live in a town that every time I see a car pulled over the occupants are ALWAYS young Black or Hispanic males. :grr:


I'm white but my grandson is half Black (see my avatar :D ) and I truly think I will lose my mind if he gets this treatment and it saddens me to my core to know he will. :cry:

I'm sorry for this shit. I just don't understand why people are so hateful like that.

:hug:

[SlavesandBulldozers]

15. i'm so sorry that happened to you.

One time I was rear-ended and when the cop got there he sort of seemed like he didn't want to be there and was rushing thru the entire episode. I was a teenager and had never been thru a situation like this, so I wanted some way to identify the officer in the event something was overlooked so I asked him for his badge-number and his card and he said "Oh we're going to play that game are we?"

I honestly was dumbfounded by the comment, when I asked it not as an accusation but just in case. . .

I've also been told that I smell by a cop who pulled me over one time. He was basically calling me a stinky hippy. I didn't smell but he was certainly trying to get a rise out of me.

I'm white, and in my teenage years I encountered enough police harassment to get an idea of what kind of assholes are out there - and I think I earned an early appreciation for what kind of harassment might be encountered by an African-American - though I admit I probably have no idea.

During my college years I lived in a predominantly African-American neighborhood and witnessed the heavy-handed police presence on a regular basis, when meanwhile - in the "white-neighborhoods" there wasn't a cop to be seen.

I really feel bad for what you had to go thru, and I wish the situation were different. Give those fu**ers hell. And keep us updated.

[Swamp Rat]

16. Report the fucking bastard!

:mad:

Write your local newspaper too! :mad:

[Kerrytravelers]

17. You're correct. White people can't understand.

It's impossible for us to completly get it because we don't experience it. And when we hear about it, many people are just in denial. It's really sad. All I can do is, as a white person, continue to debunk the biggots and racists who think, because I may be the same color as them, I share their beliefs.

[Tomee450]

18. Unfortunately, your

experience is not uncommon for African Americans. I have had several unpleasant experiences with the police, once when I called them because I thought someone was breaking into my house, another when a large truck hit me while I was waiting at a traffic light. In the latter instance, the policemen was more interested in hearing what the white truck driver had to say than to me, the person who was hit while waiting for the light to change. When dealing with black people, the police are often hostile for no reason whatsoever. Unfortunately, there are many bigots in police departments across the country. Even black people who have committed no crime have to be fearful when encountering such people even for a traffic stop.

[seafey]

19. a question

Thank you for writing about this event that happened to you. As a white woman, I would like to know if it would have been possible for the white woman who caused the accident to witness that cop's behavior and call it out right then? Or was she hurt or too busy with the other cop dealing with the paperwork of it all? Because my first reaction to this is why wasn't the white woman noticing what was going on and helping you deal with it? Or if she felt worried about the cop turning on her, it seems she maybe could have asked you afterwards if you were alright, was there anything she could do to help you file a complaint? Or did she just not even know what was going on because- I mean I know accidents (especially when they're your fault) can be really stressful and unsure times, it's possible she was unable to see or hear what was going on depending on where everyone was, etc.

But what I'm looking for is a way for white women to stand in solidarity with black women in situations exactly like this against those who oppress others. I hope that if I'm ever the white woman in this situation that I will somehow know how to act in solidarity with you and not allow this kind of abuse to go on. and on. and on.

[USAcitizen]

21. She was some help

She told me in front of the cop that she knew it was her fault. And then after hearing how the police officer was treating me, she apologized again for the accident and said not to worry, she will fully cooperate. I since filled a complaint and receive a letter of apology from the police department, but not from the police officer himself.

[Xipe Totec]

20. I feel sick and embarrassed.

This is not what I expect from from the beacon of freedom and democracy.

When I see and and hear how far we have strayed from the ideals that founded this nation, I grieve.

I am deeply offended by the treatment you received. Your flesh is my flesh, your blood is my blood. Though we may not share the same skin color, thou art my sister and no one can injure you, without injuring me.

[bobbieinok]

22. my brother (white) was stopped when he was a teenager in a car with

other teen age boys......he was very aware that the only reason they were stopped was that they were teen age males

he was upset and furious......yet as am adult white male refuses to see that blacks, Hispanics, etc might have the same thing happen to them and also be furious