Police

[Donndonn1980]

I just got stopped by a sheriff while coming out the store and he acted kool but said ultimately I had a warrant as well any car I dont understand either I'd remember anyways he made me feel super uneasy and I didnt do anything he gave me a TICKET but now I'm nervous and the way the were laughing made me feel like jokes on me. Wow it's like I changed and respect them now but they make me feel like I cant trust them. I just see so much on the news and on a black Male. I get afraid. Damn I just want to be ok. How can a car have a warrant? My name is Donald Smith in San leandro/Oakland ca. I'm 38 and bother nobody. Y do I always feel like ppl want to ruin my life. It dont feel good at all. All I do is take care of my kids and act my age. I just wish I could stop feeling like I'm everyone most hated person when i will help anyone and stay to myself mostly. Anyone else feel in danger when not doing anything wrong?

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Hey...

I'm sorry to hear how you felt and were treated. It's ridiculous this day and age for anyone to feel ridiculed, judged, and met with anything less than professional discourse. It sounds like perhaps the car, and not you, has had some sort of criminal history. I'm not saying the car robbed a bank as much as maybe a previous owner, if there is one, forgot to pay a speeding ticket and the plates still remain the same. I'm not sure but if you didn't do it or are unaware of any issues with the car having a past issue such as a parking ticket, speeding, or so on...there's only so much you can do there.

I'm a white man so I can't say I fully understand your situation as much as I empathize that there are different standards due to profiling. You sound like a wonderful person who does all that's asked. That's how you should be treated and I'm sorry that you weren't. My family and I are close friends with some folks who just happen to be African-American and we've hurt things that we could never ever imagine. Discussions white folks don't have to have. It's sad. I understand why you feel fear and that you're being picked on. I can only hope that it stops.

I hope you can find a way to cope with this without so much fear while I know exactly why that's a difficult task. I see you as a fellow person and not a black male. It doesn't really help, but anytime the cops pull me over, I feel dumb, scared to the bone, and bewildered. I just imagine that times ten for you, especially when racial issues are more tense than normal.

There are plenty of us who feel in danger when nothing is wrong. While I think this is more of an actual societal issue, the basis of anxiety and panic attacks is very much aligned with the premise of feeling in danger while nothing is actually really wrong. Unfortunately that's about the best I can say. I hope this doesn't happen often to you. You don't deserve to be treated this way. You aren't wrong for just being who you are despite how you're being treated.