"For a black man, to assert your dignity before the police was to risk assault. In fact, the dignity of black people meant less to them, which was why I always felt safer being stopped in front of white witnesses than black witnesses. The cops had less regard for the witness and entreaties of black onlookers, whereas the concern of white witnesses usually registered on them. A black witness asking a question or politely raising an objection could quickly become a fellow detainee. Deference to the police, then, was sine qua non for a safe encounter."
Much of my walking is as my friend Rebecca once described it: A pantomime undertaken to avoid the choreography of criminality.
Most black children in America receive the “talk” early on. It teaches that our skin color bears a stigma & that as individuals, we must learn to manage fear directed to us by society or perish.
It’s not a lesson that sinks in until you experience it but some young men only get a single chance in practice.
And these situations will come:
- being miscast as the villain by a stranger with a hero complex
- a neighbor reports you as vagrant that “doesn’t belong here”
- matching a generic description of a random suspect (white t-shirt and jeans)
- a late night traffic stop with a visibly nervous police officer
Even during these rather tame scenarios, there is no room for hesitation. You put on your best acting face and try making strangers comfortable with your existence.
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[ 2.6 ms ] story [ 15.6 ms ] threadIt’s not a lesson that sinks in until you experience it but some young men only get a single chance in practice.
And these situations will come:
Even during these rather tame scenarios, there is no room for hesitation. You put on your best acting face and try making strangers comfortable with your existence.