Police, Computing, and Nationalism

So melodramatic. I'm a black male and I've been pulled over multiple times by small town cops in places like Texas. Do I trust police? No. Do I fear I'll be a victim just because I got pulled over? No. Does injustice occur at times? Yes.

I got pulled over by a small town white Texas cop for speeding (which I was). I couldn't produce my insurance papers. He gave me a ticket for speeding and no insurance. Did I try to reason with him? Of course not! You do not reason with police. That is what the court is for. I took the ticket and went to the courthouse and had my insurer fax the courthouse proof of insurance. Fine removed.

Dealing with the police is a lot like fear of flying. Once you understand how police work, there's not much to fear. The OP really illustrates they don't understand the police, which leads them to believe that everything the cop does is only because they're black. A lot of media wants you to believe all black people in America are nothing but victims. I really hate that narrative. And the OP is also pushing it despite all their success in life. Is there a lot of injustice towards the black American community? Absolutely, but we don't need to live like constant victims.

It should calm the author to know being black makes him no more likely to be shot by the police: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/12/upshot/surprising-new-evi...

But if he's worried about being shot regardless of skin color, things look less peachy (compared to other countries): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_killings_by_law_enforc...

As a white American that has been fired upon by the police, I find to make these things racial, glosses over the other problems causing so many citizens being killed. From my anecdotal experiance American police are quite racist, especially in a smaller city or town. I was shot at around 10 years ago and the shooting I can reconcile as the "heat of the moment". Five police officer's telling the same lies with the intention of incarcerating me for a long time is much more difficult to process.

> Ironically, I was listening to a story on NPR about Iowa House Representative Steve King being stripped of his committee seats for saying that White Nationalism and White Supremacy are essential elements of being an American Nationalist. There isn’t space in the America of White Nationalists for Black men. I was being stopped by a White man in a uniform with his hand on his gun who may have been, what Rep. King called, an American Nationalist.

> The second officer was Italian and sounded like he was from New York. In any other world, I would have been equally afraid of him. Now, think Eric Garner. But, I could tell immediately that he was reasonable and not angry at me just for being me. His presence, in the absence of the officer with Rep. King beliefs, deescalated the whole affair. I repeated my case to him, that the car is new and I could surely sort it out with the insurance company.

So, the author is making the assumption that the officer must be racist, based on the officer's shared skin tone with another racist (Steve King)? That strikes me as pretty overtly racist itself. Perhaps viewing everything through the lens of race results in seeing lots of racism (confirmation bias).

Also, I'm a white dude and I've had a nearly identical experience with the police in California. This is pretty standard operating procedure. It is definitely nerve wracking, especially when that second cop shows up, but if they are going to tow a car or make an arrest, it is SOP to call a backup.

Cops are people like any other. Some are assholes, and some are cool. I've had both types, and yes it's enraging to be patronized and talked down to. I'm still pissed from years ago when I got a speeding ticket for going 3 over the limit, and got a lecture about how I wouldn't get there faster if I got in a wreck. I wanted to point out how idiotic that argument was, as tho it were a logical certainty that driving 45 I would arrive without incident, but 48 I would definitely experience a collision. The power differential essentially means they can and will say whatever they want, and we just have to take it. Power differentials don't care about your race. Most humans abuse their authority when they have it. Let's reduce that power differential!

I've had black cops be assholes to me. I don't assume without any evidence, that just because they were the same color as Louis Farrakhan, they must be racist against me for my Jewish ancestry.