yego.me
💡 Stop wasting time. Read Youtube instead of watch. Download Chrome Extension

The Constant Fear of Driving While Black | National Geographic


2m read
·Nov 11, 2024

I have this a lot of police of about four times in the last sixty days. A total of five times I've been probably more than 20 times. It's more times than I care to remember. But what you do know is how a very familiar feeling comes each time I'm stopped. When I see a police officer behind me and the flashes go off or they're just driving behind me, I'm nervous.

I'm conscious of my speed limit. It's always nerve-racking for me. I stop the car, everything to pull it over. The driver looks more like one of our suspects because the wife said no. You never know what's gonna be the outcome of a traffic stop if you're a black man.

So I go through my procedures. I try to stay as calm as possible, like turning on my lights. I don't get out of the car; I make sure that my seatbelt is on right away, windows down so he can immediately see there are no weapons. My hands need to be visible. I don't immediately reach for the glovebox; I tend to have my hands on the steering wheel.

I speak to them in a respectful manner, record the badge number in my head, have the officer feel safe because they're on edge. You're on edge, and if somebody says or does the wrong thing, this could turn into something absolutely crazy in 60 seconds.

When I was being searched and humiliated by the deputy, including the private areas, my wife Erin was witnessing all this. There's an emotional psychological impact to constantly being stopped and profiled by the police department when I haven't committed any crimes.

I respect police officers; I know they have a tough job. I have no respect for bad cops. I'm a big supporter of the police department, but what I'm not a big fan of is those who take it in their own hands and are abusing their authority and abusing their power and claiming fear.

Police officers are human just like any other human beings. They can make mistakes and have biases that could affect their job and their job performance. Typically in those encounters, they are the only ones who are armed. So what are they afraid of?

More Articles

View All
Current market conditions in corporate aviation.
[Music] I was going to hit that peak next year. Do you expect the demand to remain? If you got that report just the other day, maybe it was delivered to you by horse, because that information is old and it’s not true. The industry probably hit its peak, …
Elli Sharef at Female Founders Conference 2014
Awesome! Hi everyone! I’m Kat Metallic, YCS Director of Outreach. I’m so super thrilled to see you all here. The next speaker that we have is Le Chef. Le is the founder of Higher Art, a tool that makes finding a job and recruiting employees less painful. …
Why Tipping Is Out of Control in the U.S.
Imagine you finished the best meal of your life. The restaurant has white linen tablecloths, and a candle flickers in the center of the table. Wine is flowing, and thanks to the competent and charming waiter, you’ve had an amazing culinary experience. At …
Affordable Watches That Look Expensive
You know I’m constantly asked, “I don’t want to spend $150,000 on a watch, $200,000, $250,000, $500,000.” And yeah, there are a lot of watches in that price range, but that’s not how you start collecting. You’ve got to find a brand that makes dials at an …
How To ADAPT To The Digital Pivot | Meet Kevin Asks Mr. Wonderful
There are no starving artists anymore. They’re not starving. They’re getting salaries of over a quarter million dollars a year if they’re any good, because they can tell the story and digitize the service or product online and entice customer acquisition.…
The Problem with Super Chickens | Podcast | Overheard at National Geographic
Let’s start with the riddle. Picture a long flat building in rural Indiana, surrounded by corn and soybean fields. There are thousands of chickens inside. Oh my goodness, it was a lot of noise! They’re calling under the rooster sounds and copper glue. Tha…