Tell your story.
— In February 2012, Trayvon Martin was senselessly killed by a man who, common sense tells us, racially profiled the unarmed, black teenager. Florida's unnecessary "Stand Your Ground" law and the inaction of local law enforcement further dehumanized Trayvon's life and memory, and sent a revolting message loud and clear that our lives do NOT matter to this society.
As people of color, we are providing a platform to share with each other, and with the world, our "Trayvon Stories" -- the times we were similarly racially profiled by police or vigilantes, and could have ended up dead after doing nothing more than the everyday activity typical of human beings living in a supposedly free society. We deserve and demand real inclusion for our voices and experiences in leading the country we all share.
@icouldbetrayvon
They said I had it all wrong!!
In the 1990’s, on occasion I used to drive to Providence, Rhode Island, from Boston to party (this may seem counterintuitive, perhaps, but it’s true!). Each and every time, when returning to Boston on I-95 in the middle of the night, I was stopped by the po-po. And each and every time, they searched my vehicle, padded me down, looked into my eyes, and then let me go. (They never found illegal substances, weapons, etc., although they sure tried - and wished it - to the point of going through the trouble of removing the spare tire in the trunk to see if I had hidden anything beneath it!
One of those times I had finally had too much. I meticulously noted the officer’s badge number, cruiser number and license plate. On the following Monday, I wrote a comprehensive letter on office stationery (I was @MIT then) to the Rhode Island State Police and copied to various offices and officials in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
About a week later, I got a call @work from a very apologetic investigator who asked if he could come to the office to meet with me and review the details of my “unfortunate” experiences so that we can “discipline the officer involved.” I unhesitatingly agreed and planned to meet him a few days later.
On the appointed day, a colleague buzzed me to let me know that the investigator had arrived. Upon stepping into the lobby to greet him, he looked at me - and his smile suddenly vanished. What had been a warm and concerned gentleman was now a cold, distant and mean jerk.
We went to my office; as soon as I closed the door he said to me, “Sir, we believe that you were mistaken about the officer badge number, cruiser and plates because we searched our records high and low, and there are no officers or cruisers with those numbers. The officers working on the specified night have no recollection of having stopped anyone during their shift, so we’re just going to have to close the book on this case, okay?”
He then extended his hand - as if to complete the “deal.” I eschewed it, opened the door and gestured for him to leave.
I never heard from the police or any authorities about the case again.
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almataina likes this
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phuongus reblogged this from icouldbetrayvon and added:
disgusting. America needs change.
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claude poux submitted this to icouldbetrayvon
