When I was freshman in college, I got stopped with 2 friends by undercover cops right outside campus. We all had on Univ. of Detroit hats at the time but no benefit of the doubt was forthcoming. Anyway, only 1 of us recognized that they were plain clothes cops and acted accordingly. The other guy and I thought we were about to be robbed. He ran. It seemed like a good idea so I ran too. Cop pulls ought gun and yells freeze. We comply and even though he has a badge around his neck I’m still not believing he’s a cop until they start patting us down. After all the confusion they joke around with us a little and ask our names. When they asked my name, I drew a blank and one of my friends answered for me. Why did that happen?
Fear. It can make you brain fart the most basic things when your mind is on other things, like survival. Why were the cops stopping you, by the way?
no reason. we were coming from a basketball game. Univ. of Detroit is a small college not in the best neighborhood. Everyone was black btw. cops too. thanks for the answer. I do recall an accelerated heart beat.
When I was in college in the 80s in baltimore I got used to being stopped by the police. (black too, btw). They often stopped black people in the vicinity of the school as if we were all out for some kind of skullduggery. I really resented that. One freezing, snowy winter morning a cop pulled up to me in his car while I was on my way to class and demanded my ID. I’d 'become so used to this fear didn’t enter in…I was just pissed and cold and I refused saying “I didn’t do anything. I’m going to class. Arrest me if you feel like it, but you’d better be able to prove I’m guilty of something.”. He just rode off. Bitch.
I don’t have anything against cops…in fact I respect what they do. But I hate racial profiling having been on the end of it.
Something similar happened to me.
I got sent out to pick up some product, with many a grin and chuckle to send me on my way. The guy worked from home and the only thing that saved him from being labelled batshit insane, was that fact that his homebound wife and daughter were actually worse. If I’d had the reality of living with him, I think I’d have chosen insanity, too.
When I arrived, parked the truck and went to knock on the door, I was met halfway down the path by the guy.
“Are you a man or a woman?” he screamed, and I mean screamed, at me.
For a second there I wasn’t entirely sure.
If the guys at work had given me adequate warning, I’d have groped thoughtfully between my legs before answering, as it was I just laughed nervously and answered; “M - Uh, woman, of course.”
I spent perhaps 20 minutes in that house, the guy was seriously weird.
I think Eddie Murphy has a routine about it. Something about when a white man is pulled over he gets out and asks “What seems to be the matter, officer?”. When a black guy gets pulled over he stays perfectly still with is hands up in plain sight. Never, never does he get out of the car before the cop tells him to. Eddie makes it sound funny but it’s not.