# Picking up trash while black, 5 officers respond. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 7, 2019, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703 "2019-03-07T16:48:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/1 "2019-03-07T16:48:40Z")
The video is just incredible. Words almost fail me. He’s holding a trash pickup stick and bucket in his own yard? 3 or maybe 4 cops aiming guns? Drop the weapon! WTH? Very glad this man wasn’t gunned down in his own yard. [https://www.circa.com/story/2019/03/07/nation/boulder-colorado-police-launch-investigation-after-officers-confront-black-man-picking-up-trash](https://www.circa.com/story/2019/03/07/nation/boulder-colorado-police-launch-investigation-after-officers-confront-black-man-picking-up-trash) > [@](#): > > BOULDER, Colo. (CIRCA via STORYFUL) – Police in Boulder, Colorado, have launched an investigation after a confrontation between a number of officers and a black man who was picking up rubbish outside his residence was captured in a video on March 1. > > In the video, filmed by Vanardo Merchant, a police officer can be seen confronting a black man, identified in the video as Zayd, who appears to be holding a bucket and a tool for picking up garbage. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/2 "2019-03-07T16:54:14Z")
I’d love to know the back story and why the cops showed up in such force. Who called them? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/3 "2019-03-07T17:01:17Z")
This should help some: > **['I Live Here!: Man Holding a Trash Picker as He Works at His Own House Has...](https://atlantablackstar.com/2019/03/06/i-live-here-man-holding-a-trash-picker-as-he-works-at-his-own-house-has-gun-drawn-on-him-by-boulder-police/)** > > Police in Boulder, Colorado, are investigating after officers detained a man who was cleaning up trash from his porch. A March 4 news release from ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/4 "2019-03-07T17:04:13Z")
2nd article sounds like the situation was even more volatile. 8 officers for a guy picking up trash? Wow It can’t be that hard to see trash being picked up vs breaking into a house. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/5 "2019-03-07T17:10:28Z")
Be fair! He wasn’t wearing an orange jumpsuit! ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/6 "2019-03-07T17:21:17Z")
One of those empty beer cans in the bucket could be lethal. :rolleyes: Geez Stories like this certainly harm police community relations. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/7 "2019-03-07T17:29:58Z")
Pretty sure the roommate filming was high. Needs to take a lesson on using his phone to record videos. The responding officer, clearly overreacted. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/8 "2019-03-07T18:24:54Z")
He thought he was illegally disposing of a perfectly good white boy when he just found it there. You get 2 guesses which movie that’s from. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/9 "2019-03-07T18:28:50Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > He thought he was illegally disposing of a perfectly good white boy when he just found it there. > > You get 2 guesses which movie that’s from. If I get it right, do I get two dollars? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/10 "2019-03-07T18:33:00Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > If I get it right, do I get two dollars? I see what you did there[.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6srI0EVwTUE) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/11 "2019-03-07T18:35:52Z")
Stupid situation that got out of control, certainly, and I’m as outraged as the next guy. However, the guy should have complied, angry or not. Nervous cops with drawn guns can end in disaster for even the most innocent of people. When told to put an object down, it’s best to do so, as it’s always better than being dead. ---
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/12 "2019-03-07T18:49:06Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Stupid situation that got out of control, certainly, and I’m as outraged as the next guy. However, the guy should have complied, angry or not. Nervous cops with drawn guns can end in disaster for even the most innocent of people. When told to put an object down, it’s best to do so, as it’s always better than being dead. It’s certainly safer. But it does also reinforce the idea that it’s perfectly okay for cops to act this way and is very often used to encourage victim-blaming when an innocent person is killed by an over-reacting cop. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/13 "2019-03-07T20:41:07Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Stupid situation that got out of control, certainly, and I’m as outraged as the next guy. However, the guy should have complied, angry or not. Nervous cops with drawn guns can end in disaster for even the most innocent of people. When told to put an object down, it’s best to do so, as it’s always better than being dead. Who is the paid professional trained in conflict resolution in this situation? I’m tired of the excuse “if only he’d complied, he wouldn’t be dead”. Stop blaming the innocent victim. There is a local story of a simple man that ended up dead because he wouldn’t put down a 2-liter bottle of soda in a convenience store. Look up Otto Zehm if you are curious. You have no idea about the guy picking up trash. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/14 "2019-03-07T21:04:59Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > If I get it right, do I get two dollars? Bike kid is still looking for your $2, because that’s only half right. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/15 "2019-03-07T22:27:53Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > professional trained in conflict resolution lol ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/16 "2019-03-07T22:35:01Z")
I tell my kids all the time to just comply with police requests. If you’re innocent it will be determined so. But, they’re not people of color. Black and brown people have reason to be angry and defensive. It’s not right for profiling to happen, but it does. So sad, really. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/17 "2019-03-07T23:12:14Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > lol Sorry, who were the **8** professionals trained in conflict resolution? Stop laughing! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Anita\_Dayoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Anita\_Dayoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anita_Dayoff)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/18 "2019-03-08T00:47:32Z")
Earning the hate. Clearly a person who lacks the temperament to be a police officer. Escalating the situation even after having been shown an ID. Who, other than a cop can pull a gun on someone for no reason and get a paid vacation for doing so. It’s time for the Boulder police to have a job opening. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/19 "2019-03-08T03:31:32Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > Sorry, who were the **8** professionals trained in conflict resolution? > > Stop laughing! 😃 I guess they figure shooting holes in the other guy is one way to resolve a conflict. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2019, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/20 "2019-03-08T05:00:11Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > One of those empty beer cans in the bucket could be lethal. :rolleyes: Geez > > Stories like this certainly harm police community relations. Yeah, THAT’s the problem here. Police community relations might be damaged. I’m really worried about police community relations. I’m worried that the police maybe think so little of some parts of their community that they’re willing to shoot them for no reason. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I tell my kids all the time to just comply with police requests. If you’re innocent it will be determined so. But, they’re not people of color. Black and brown people have reason to be angry and defensive. It’s not right for profiling to happen, but it does. So sad, really. Profiling is sad. Right. Be sure to shed a tear for the victims of profiling, maybe two tears when they’re actually shot to death. This is the wrong forum for me to say how little I think of some of these responses. It’s the wrong forum for me to say what I think about the joke responses. It’s the wrong forum for me to wonder what’s mundane or pointless about this, and why there’s no outrage here. So as you were, carry on being you. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703.md?page=2)