# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/61 "2019-03-10T20:54:26Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > What do you mean, the cops “have to take the call”? They’re not a fucking pizza delivery. They don’t \*have \*to respond to any tip provided by the public, especially one as bogus as this one. But it can be hard for them to know what’s a bogus call without responding and moreover _we_ know nothing about the call. IOW I don’t entirely dismiss the idea that 911 operators/police could filter what they respond to. They do already, the cops aren’t going to come for _any_ 911 call, witness all kinds of humorous extreme examples (‘911, how do I microwave this pizza?’). But we don’t know what the caller said or how it was relayed to the initially responding officer(s). The general idea that cops shouldn’t be sent to trespassing calls, or unless the caller can prove they are the property owner, isn’t tenable IMO. The issue seems to me much more what happened after the cops checked out a call of a type that realistically they do generally have to respond to. One aspect of that could very well be the initial cop’s attitude, demeanor, tone etc. which I didn’t see on that video. But once you’re pacing around heaping verbal abuse on the cops, more back up is going to come, in any country, any color. Whereas OTOH nothing actually did happen besides that. Cops absorbed a lot of abusive language, then left. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/62 "2019-03-11T01:02:04Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > **Magiver** , your take on this seems best summed up by “respect authority, especially in the moment; if there are abuses of authority, there are ways to correct them later.” Well no. What I’ve said is treat people the way you expect to be treated and use common sense with a police officer. Applied to this situation it means don’t run your pie hole like a jackass and put down anything that might appear dangerous or be used as a weapon. > [@Dr.Drake](#): > > \*\*This is not, in fact, true for black people the same way that it is for white people. There is a history literally centuries long of authority bullying and disregarding black people in a way that is not the case for the typical white citizen. A lot of the outrage over this incident relies on this context. Yes, there is a history. And that history has changed radically in the last 100 years. It has changed significantly in the last 50 years. I"ve dealt with asshole police officers. One of them managed to make local if not national news (not for my encounter). The police department fired him but he got reinstated through the courts. That was 20 years ago and I’m still ticked off. But I kept my cool while dealing with him. I get that history has added to this. But there seems to be a disconnect between the concept of negative behavior and negative response to that behavior. ---
**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 11, 2019, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/63 "2019-03-11T16:24:07Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Well no. What I’ve said is treat people the way you expect to be treated and use common sense with a police officer. Applied to this situation it means don’t run your pie hole like a jackass and put down anything that might appear dangerous or be used as a weapon. > . Again, who is the trained professional in conflict resolution/de-escalation? Do mentally unstable or intellectually disabled people deserve to be killed because they won’t drop a 2-liter because they are confused? Is someone with issues like that a jackass for running their pie hole? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/64 "2019-03-11T17:12:59Z")
BTW, police officers (the ones in such situations with the training, expertise and, more importantly, the deadly weapons) occasionally come across people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The fact that the person standing there isn’t following the cop’s instructions might simply be that they _don’t understand what the cop is saying_. [Sometimes these encounters result in tragedy](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/09/the-steadily-problematic-interactions-between-deaf-americans-and-police/541083/). ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/65 "2019-03-11T17:26:59Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > 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) It sucks that cops will eagerly confront a guy picking up garbage on a front lawn in student housing, but screaming and yelling at the police while refusing to put down your stuff when asked is a good way to have multiple bad things happen to you. Cemeteries are full of people who had the legal right of way. And if you want to pontificate about conflict resolution training and not being submissive to the police and standing up for your rights, go right ahead. I’m sure it makes you feel terribly righteous. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/66 "2019-03-11T17:34:02Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I"ve dealt with asshole police officers. One of them managed to make local if not national news (not for my encounter). The police department fired him but he got reinstated through the courts. That was 20 years ago and I’m still ticked off. But I kept my cool while dealing with him. > > I get that history has added to this. But there seems to be a disconnect between the concept of negative behavior and negative response to that behavior. Well said. I have also had to deal with police who were called when I was doing something “suspicious” (in my case, cleaning out my car). I showed my hands and calmly explained what I was doing. 90 seconds later, they were gone. If I’d kept yelling phrases of righteous indignation like the man in the video above, I would have been in for it the whole evening. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/67 "2019-03-11T18:29:31Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > As dense as most criminals are don’t you think they would find something convincing to tell an officer? > > And I like my neighbors just fine. They don’t have yards full of trash and they watch over my property. I’ve read many police reports from my town, but none have mentioned a burglar bringing a trash can and track picker to blend in. They mostly ring the bell or sneak around the back. And at least one of your neighbors either doesn’t recognize you or prefers to call the cops before making the slightest effort to see if the person in front of your house is you. I’d be kind of pissed if a neighbor did that to me. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/68 "2019-03-11T22:53:17Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I’ve read many police reports from my town, but none have mentioned a burglar bringing a trash can and track picker to blend in. They mostly ring the bell or sneak around the back. So? what does your “many” police reports have to do with anything? Can you identify your neighbor from behind, or wearing a jacket and head gear or when it’s raining or it’s dark out? And what does that have to do with an officer investigating something? I’m grateful for my neighbors. My neighbor literally just checked on my property yesterday when he saw my garage door open. I was thrilled to see him. > [@Voyager](#): > > And at least one of your neighbors either doesn’t recognize you or prefers to call the cops before making the slightest effort to see if the person in front of your house is you. I’d be kind of pissed if a neighbor did that to me. To each his own. I honestly hope you get the neighbors you desire. ---
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/69 "2019-03-12T11:09:19Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > Well said. I have also had to deal with police who were called when I was doing something “suspicious” (in my case, cleaning out my car). I showed my hands and calmly explained what I was doing. 90 seconds later, they were gone. If I’d kept yelling phrases of righteous indignation like the man in the video above, I would have been in for it the whole evening. Yeah, but does that ever lead to police officers (or anyone else) correcting their behavior? For that matter, how often has that happened to you? When you get incorrectly targeted and questioned once, it’s one thing. When it happens to you and your family over and over and over again it’s another. Also, you don’t factor in that for some people, they can be pleasant and still end up having trouble for hours and hours. And race (and age and sex and clothes) play a factor in that. All people don’t get questioned the same way, even if they have the same. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/70 "2019-03-12T14:23:52Z")
> [@Tzigone](#): > > Yeah, but does that ever lead to police officers (or anyone else) correcting their behavior? I don’t think yelling at the police leads them to correct their behavior either. It sux that somebody reported this guy when he wasn’t doing anything wrong. It sux that the police couldn’t tell at a glance that he was totally innocent. Making a bad situation worse doesn’t help. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/71 "2019-03-12T15:00:28Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I’m grateful for my neighbors. My neighbor literally just checked on my property yesterday when he saw my garage door open. I was thrilled to see him. > > To each his own. I honestly hope you get the neighbors you desire. This guy didn’t have that kind of neighbor. You get that, right? This neighbor, and this cop, saw a black man and thought ‘threat’, not ‘neighbor’. This was based on nothing more than the color of his skin. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/72 "2019-03-12T19:31:39Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > So? what does your “many” police reports have to do with anything? Can you identify your neighbor from behind, or wearing a jacket and head gear or when it’s raining or it’s dark out? And what does that have to do with an officer investigating something? Yes, I could. And I hope that cops passing by or investigating would think that a black guy picking up trash isn’t any more suspicious than a white guy doing so. > [@](#): > > I’m grateful for my neighbors. My neighbor literally just checked on my property yesterday when he saw my garage door open. I was thrilled to see him. > > To each his own. I honestly hope you get the neighbors you desire. My neighbors and I check on each others’ houses when we are away. We take in each others trash on trash day. We hide newspapers so the houses don’t look unoccupied. My neighbor has told me when I left my car window open. I’ve got great neighbors. None of whom have ever called the cops on me. All my neighbors have a clue. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/73 "2019-03-12T21:43:32Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > This guy didn’t have that kind of neighbor. You get that, right? You have nothing to base that on. You don’t know what the guy was doing at the time of the call. > [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > This neighbor, and this cop, saw a black man and thought ‘threat’, not ‘neighbor’. This was based on nothing more than the color of his skin. You have nothing to base this on except your prejudice. The officer responded to a call. He’s trained on how to deal with an unknown and in this case that means asking him to put down whatever can be weaponized while they talk. The call he responded to would have been shorter if the person in the video was less agitated. If you go through life acting like the world hates you then you will get your wish. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/74 "2019-03-14T14:12:23Z")
Most police officers I’ve met are cowards. That goes double for officers in any confrontational situation and they inevitably exercise that cowardice by getting extremely aggressive. We’d all be better off if would-be cops were forced to undergo extensive psychotherapy. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/75 "2019-03-14T14:17:31Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > If you go through life acting like the world hates you then you will get your wish. Is that directed at the homeowner or the responding officer? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/76 "2019-03-14T14:52:25Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > You have nothing to base that on. You don’t know what the guy was doing at the time of the call. > > You have nothing to base this on except your prejudice. > > The officer responded to a call. He’s trained on how to deal with an unknown and in this case that means asking him to **put down whatever can be weaponized** while they talk. > > The call he responded to would have been shorter if the person in the video was less agitated. > > If you go through life acting like the world hates you then you will get your wish. Those trash pickers give a _hell_ of a pinch. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/77 "2019-03-14T22:35:11Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Those trash pickers give a _hell_ of a pinch. are you implying they don’t pose a threat? Do you think it takes a great deal of skill to ram one into someone’s eyes? the police routinely deal with all manner of wack jobs and it’s hard to know which one will agree to the queensbury rules of trash pickup in advance. All they can work with is the temperament and behavior of those they interact with. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/78 "2019-03-14T22:39:40Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Is that directed at the homeowner or the responding officer? It’s not directed at either. It’s the golden rule. It applies to everybody. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2019, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/79 "2019-03-15T03:59:23Z")
> [@](#): > > Boulder police Chief Greg Testa . . . indicated Tuesday [one officer drew his sidearm](http://www.dailycamera.com/news/boulder/ci_32496471/boulder-police-officer-who-confronted-black-man-picking?source=pkg) but kept it pointed at the ground, but Aulabaugh said she could not confirm if that was the officer who was on leave. In the USA, what is the difference between a criminal gang and police? Authority of law. What is a black person to do when there is no moral authority supporting the authority of law, such as the country with by far the highest incarceration rate in the world, in which blacks are grossly disproportionately incarcerated? Either take a stand against the “legal” gang and risk being incarcerated or shot, or tolerate being rousted to be kept in his place? The young man played his cards well by taking a stand for his rights, black American rights, in the world’s least free country. Sometime being a hero requires taking risk. Black lives matter. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2019, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703/80 "2019-03-15T04:05:30Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > are you implying they don’t pose a threat? Do you think it takes a great deal of skill to ram one into someone’s eyes? There you go blaming the black victim again. The tenant had already identified himself both verbally and with ID. The tenant did not threaten the officer with anything. The officer chose to escalate rather than go away and try to identify the person who made the false police call against the black resident. The officer was just another racist with a badge, blaming a black victim. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-up-trash-while-black-5-officers-respond/830703.md?page=5)