Racial Profiling, Police Brutality, and Mass Incarceration must End for Black and Brown Citizens
Listen! I am a psychologist, clinician, therapist, educator, and community activist with a long history of fighting for justice. Despite my achievements and policy changes regarding police interaction with people of color, racial profiling remains the go-to behavior of police towards African Americans. Look, back in the day, I was not always abiding by the law and had my experiences with law enforcement. However, that was nearly 30 years ago, yet, when I get pulled over by the police, it appears my past becomes my present and the emotional rape of personal dignity begins to emerge in the mindset of the attending officer. Hey, I paid my dues for violating augmented laws that were specifically created and designed to imprison Black and Brown people. Research shows that 3 out of 5 Black males stand the chance of being incarcerated over their lifetime more so than any other ethnic male group, and will be left with a criminal record, which will cause them to live a life of infamy as a criminal.
Recently, I was taking a road trip to visit The Legacy Museum in Montgomery Al, founded by Bryan Stevenson, the CEO of the Equal Justice Initiative. I flew from San Francisco to Memphis to visit the Lorraine Motel, white MLK was assassinated with the intent of renting a car, and drive to Montgomery. I was on my own personal “Civil Rights” tour. Right when I pulled on to the freeway, a State Trooper pulled me over for crossing over a “White Line”, which could have very well been a “Black Line.” Chances are if it was a Black Line in the name of racial equality, I may have not had the experience of being racially profiled. The cop said I noticed you went across the White Line, which is why I am pulling you over. He asked for my license and insurance and ran my background. Because of an arrest in1995, he came back with his chest puffed up, hands on his gun and taser, and asked me to get out of the car. I asked what’s the problem officer? He responded, “Do you mind if I search your car?” I said NO! He said. “if you don’t allow me to search your car it’s going to be a bad day for you.” All I could think of was making it safely to Montgomery to celebrate and honor my ancestors who have died from police and citizens brutality of lynchings. My intentions were not to allow White supremacy to rule at the moment, rather stand my ground to maintain my dignity.
Suddenly, the officer got irate and his emotions shifted to terroristic behavior. I knew then this was not going to end well in my favor. So, I complied! When I stepped out of the car to grant his request of search, he said because of my height, 6'4", “You ain’t gon try nothing are you Big Boy”? I replied, “Of course not!” Then he asked, “Do you have drugs or weapons in the car”? “No sir, I said”. He asked, “Did you get arrested in 1995?” “Yes, yall got me”. “Why is that prevalent today”? He then asked, “Have you been drinking.” “No”! He responded, “I believe you have”. He said I want you to submit to a sobriety test and walk the “White Line”. I asked, what “White Line”? He said, “The One on the Edge of the highway”. I refused, and he threatens to call for the other dogs, in other words, backup. I submitted to his request and walked the “White Line” and past his test with flying colors. Next, he asked, if would blow in the breathalyzer. I said No and Why.” Again, if mentioned if I refused, it would be a bad day for me. Ok, ok, “I will blow in the darn thing. Pass! After taking his next test, he replied, “It’s your lucky day, you passed”. Finally, he started te search of my car looking for anything incriminating that could lead to incarceration. When he finished, my car was ramshackle with clothing thrown across the trunk. After giving me a ticket for an improper lane change, he said, “Stay off my highway” because if I see you again, you might not be so lucky. I’m thinking what arrogance, “your highway”?
I left the scene totally humiliated with a felt sense of emotional rape of dignity and humanness. With 12 hours of drive time ahead of me, I stopped at every rest stop to process what had just happened. A 12-hour drive ended up taking 18 hours. I was floored, I was devastated, I was hurt, and I was once again harmed by White supremacy for the umpteenth time by law enforcement, which was supposedly designed to protect their citizens. The only thing that gave me the motivation to keep going further South was the spiritual energies received from my ancestors who had suffered so much more on my behalf. The impact that officers had on the psyche, as well as career, was harmful, to say the least. Nevertheless, I have been well trained to live in this paradigm of White supremacy to act if this experience was the norm for Black life despite the social and economic assault on my humanity. Shortly afterward, I applied for an adjunct faculty position, and his traffic stop showed up during my background check. If I did not have great Quakers (Harriet Tubman) supporters in my corners, my fate regarding teaching would have been negatively impacted.
We can end police brutality, which fuels mass incarceration by seeking out those who live in the spirit of Harriet Tubman supporters of yesterday. I am passionate about the quest for criminal justice reform, unfortunately, we have many who stand on the main platform(s) who only seek to line their pockets with fame and fortune on the backs of those who are suffering in the name of criminal justice reform. To end this drama of enslavement for 401 years, as it relates to the criminal justice system, we must go all the back to the old blueprints and strategies used by our ancestors to bridge the gaps and reach farther than before that truly speaks to our authentic lived experiences. The answer is not engrappled in policy, procedures, law, politics, or community resources — rather the answers are within us. I beseech you Afrikan ancestry to find the divine within you, once you find it, there will no limits to your full potentialities and possibilities to dismantle the criminal justice system.
