Marcie, thank you for offering your perspective. I needed this to examine the ways we look at authority & rights, & how we must never forget about our humanity (with or without bodily clothes), but definitely clothed in all of our emotions, no matter our station. Just thank you. I found this piece very grounding.
Thank you for this. The last time I was pulled over, I was truly shaken up and overwhelmed and emotional. There is a lot that went into how I was treated. Suffice it to say - it is so hard to feel like we can be human or show emotions and not have that held against us. Being pulled over is traumatic. We don’t behave our best or our most coherent when we are traumatized, but we are expected to . . . so much to unpack and think about . . . I wonder how many police officers would be willing to read this piece - and think about it from the perspective of being faced with the badge and taser . . .
I wonder too. I’m so sorry you had to face that trauma. Traffic stops shouldn’t be traumatic. They are a public service not crime scenes. A cop pulled my husband over and had the nerve to say, “You seem nervous.” As if my sweet mild-mannered British redhead led husband being nervous made him suspicious.
Texas passed a law on that as of 9/1/23 any person of whom a LEO demands an ID (in a car or not) must produce it. It's the equivalent of having your "papers" on you at all times. For a big state we're so - small.
i have a sketchy history with law enforcement on both sides of my family and even though i am white, every time i have a run in with a cop i'm hoping – hoping they don't recognize my last name, hoping they don't pick up on how nervous i am, hoping to get away unscathed. compliance is not a guarantee for safety 😞 i have only ever been respectful, polite and honest and it has gotten me absolutely nowhere. every time i am given a ridiculously high ticket for going 5 over, i know it is because they're trying to get to me. the *only* time i had a positive experience with a cop was when my dad showed up on site after someone else had wrecked into ME....he walked up while the officer was actively trying to blame the accident on me....officer changed his tune once my dad was there, whether it was from fear or bc he was a white man, i truly don't know. there was another officer standing there who had WITNESSED the accident and didn't speak up until after my dad arrived. like they were just going to let it happen even though they knew i wasn't to blame???
Thanks for bringing this wisdom to us. For me it is a reminder, not new info.
My adopted son (of Mexican descent) stayed at our house while we were gone recently. I told him he could use our car. He specifically asked me if any of the turn signals were out. I didn't actually know, so I suggested he check them to be sure. A reminder that it is likely if I (white, older woman) is stopped for a turn signal out that the likelihood it will be just a stop and a warning (or ticket) issued is far more likely for me than my darker skin son. It pisses me off.
Marcie, thank you for offering your perspective. I needed this to examine the ways we look at authority & rights, & how we must never forget about our humanity (with or without bodily clothes), but definitely clothed in all of our emotions, no matter our station. Just thank you. I found this piece very grounding.
Thank you for reading 🖤
Beautiful and challenging. Thankyou
🖤
Marcie,
Thank you for this. The last time I was pulled over, I was truly shaken up and overwhelmed and emotional. There is a lot that went into how I was treated. Suffice it to say - it is so hard to feel like we can be human or show emotions and not have that held against us. Being pulled over is traumatic. We don’t behave our best or our most coherent when we are traumatized, but we are expected to . . . so much to unpack and think about . . . I wonder how many police officers would be willing to read this piece - and think about it from the perspective of being faced with the badge and taser . . .
I wonder too. I’m so sorry you had to face that trauma. Traffic stops shouldn’t be traumatic. They are a public service not crime scenes. A cop pulled my husband over and had the nerve to say, “You seem nervous.” As if my sweet mild-mannered British redhead led husband being nervous made him suspicious.
Texas passed a law on that as of 9/1/23 any person of whom a LEO demands an ID (in a car or not) must produce it. It's the equivalent of having your "papers" on you at all times. For a big state we're so - small.
🤦🏾♀️thanks for letting me know this!!! It’s soooo wrong!
i have a sketchy history with law enforcement on both sides of my family and even though i am white, every time i have a run in with a cop i'm hoping – hoping they don't recognize my last name, hoping they don't pick up on how nervous i am, hoping to get away unscathed. compliance is not a guarantee for safety 😞 i have only ever been respectful, polite and honest and it has gotten me absolutely nowhere. every time i am given a ridiculously high ticket for going 5 over, i know it is because they're trying to get to me. the *only* time i had a positive experience with a cop was when my dad showed up on site after someone else had wrecked into ME....he walked up while the officer was actively trying to blame the accident on me....officer changed his tune once my dad was there, whether it was from fear or bc he was a white man, i truly don't know. there was another officer standing there who had WITNESSED the accident and didn't speak up until after my dad arrived. like they were just going to let it happen even though they knew i wasn't to blame???
Omg!!!! My stomach turned the whole time I was reading your comment. That’s so freakin scary and oddly weird how their tune changed!!!!!
Such great reminders. Thank you.
Thanks for bringing this wisdom to us. For me it is a reminder, not new info.
My adopted son (of Mexican descent) stayed at our house while we were gone recently. I told him he could use our car. He specifically asked me if any of the turn signals were out. I didn't actually know, so I suggested he check them to be sure. A reminder that it is likely if I (white, older woman) is stopped for a turn signal out that the likelihood it will be just a stop and a warning (or ticket) issued is far more likely for me than my darker skin son. It pisses me off.