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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThis Is The Pain That Racism Causes
GlobalCitizenLinda
Now that I have halted my crying, I can tell my story when you hear/read all those stories of unarmed civilians being shot/harmed/killed by law enforcement, you, as a racial minority, wonder when you will find yourself in that situation and what you would do to come out of it alive. Just over two hours ago, I found myself being placed in the back of a police cruiser and answering questions from 3 police officers who had pulled out behind my car in two police vehicles. What was my crime: apparently someone (the only person I had last seen in my vicinity what a middle-aged white male) had called the police and told them that I was trying to steal a car packed in the parking lot of an auto-mechanic shop. How did I end up in this situation: my car was having problems so I dropped it off at the workshop of my regular mechanic. This repair shop is just a street away from where I live and a few feet from where I can catch and get off that public city bus. The neighborhood is at the edge of the largest public university and so the majority of the residents are students, university employees, or those who work in the two very large hospitals (university hospital and a huge private hospital); my mechanics shop is just opposite the offices of the citys local NBC TV affiliate; multiple restaurants and eatery/restaurants of different price structures abound
so people are always walking around and this would not be a good place to commit a robbery in broad day light from a shop that is adjacent to a fast food joint. I started the day very early (5.00 a.m.) so that I could get my two buses to get to work on time; my car was at the mechanics shop during the course of the day, the mechanic gives me a call and says the repairs have been completed and that I could pick up the car any time. I inform him that I the bus would get me to the shop after hours and he offers to leave the car key hidden in a place where I could pick it (spare one was at home) when I got off the bus; a few hours later, I get to the shop, call the mechanic and he guides me to locate the car key; I am seated in my car talking to my mechanic telling him that whatever repairs he had made were not sufficient as the car had refused to start & that I would leave it on the lot for him to look over; just then I see two police cruisers pull up behind me. Two officers approach my car one on either side of the car; one police officer asks to me to roll the window down while another asks me what I am doing and is touching the belt where his pistol is hanging. I am confused at this time about who to answer first; at this time all the recent episodes of police interaction with minorities are flashing through my mind. One persistent thought was that hey, whatever you do, dont make any sudden moves that will get you killed .
you have to get through this situation alive). Of course, this is when I realize that whatever trouble was happening to the car meant that the automatic windows could not roll down, so I decide to open the drivers door. I made sure that my hands could be seen and that I repeated each question from the officers; was asked what I am doing I said I came on the bus and I am picking up my car. One officer told me that are you sure that this is your car because someone called you in that you are trying to steal cars here . this is not your car you are trying to steal two cars . how come car wont start? My response was that whatever repairs the mechanic made failed and I just informed him of the same do you want to talk to him? Officer: no, why are you picking up your car now when mechanic is not here? Me: because the bus got here after hours and I really need to run errands so mechanic told me to take it
Read the rest here: http://theobamadiary.com/2015/03/20/this-is-the-pain-that-racism-causes-2/
Faux pas
(14,681 posts)napkinz
(17,199 posts)nt
GP6971
(31,158 posts)giftedgirl77
(4,713 posts)mountain grammy
(26,621 posts)democrank
(11,094 posts)Jack Rabbit
(45,984 posts)!!
heaven05
(18,124 posts)Last edited Sat Mar 21, 2015, 10:01 AM - Edit history (1)
are the disgusting ones. They know what and why they are doing these things. Brings to mind the John Crawford incident in the cincinnati walmart. I'm glad you weren't physically assaulted by those protectors of the peace.
gregcrawford
(2,382 posts)... that there are unspeakably evil people running around loose that take malicious delight in siccing the cops on innocent people. The horrific Cincinnati incident was just such situation. The maggot that made that call suffered no consequences whatsoever for filing a false report that got an innocent man murdered.
raven mad
(4,940 posts)K&R
calimary
(81,267 posts)That last photo - the guy on his knees -
I've seen that photo before, but still, there are no words.
uponit7771
(90,339 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)Scuba
(53,475 posts)jen63
(813 posts)midnight
(26,624 posts)NJCher
(35,675 posts)this person is an immigrant. Some "welcome" to America.
Also, she needed to get the car to be able to send some money to family that was ill.
These actions by police really have consequences, aside from the emotional distress.
Cher
salin
(48,955 posts)brer cat
(24,565 posts)Dont call me Shirley
(10,998 posts)Not all Americans are ugly minded and hearted. Many of us are out-spoken critics of this promotion of fear and hatred insanity which has gripped too many in this country.
The era of distrust and spy your neighbor because they may be bad was unashamedly intentionally ushered in by gwb. The msm plays this message of fear on a never-ending loop, "be very afraid of others, especially people who are other than white".
Divide and Conquer has been their wicked game since the beginning of patriarchy. Why is it that so many still fall for that deadly manipulation of minds? One would wonder that maybe the minds of people would have evolved beyond that ugly trick after so many thousands of years.
TryTwoFour
(6 posts)The negatives are countless. No positives begging the questions why does it exist? Rhetorical, almost, because ultimately there is no answer for hatred. Hate is hate.