Monday, July 29, 2013

It's Okay to Call The Police on a Black Person For Existing In This Country (click on the first two sentences to see the link)

Roy Middleton was returning home from work early Saturday morning, when he stopped by the car he and his mother share to grab some cigarettes.A neighbor who didn't recognize Middleton phoned the local sheriff's office to report a possible burglary.

Let me get this straight. A 'neighbor' called the police on Roy Middleton because he didn't recognize him. I guess if the neighbor had taken the time to get to know his neighbors, he wouldn't have had a man (who was doing no wrong) shot  by police. I guess if the Black person had left a note or knocked on the neighbors door to let him know that he was going to get some cigarettes, then he wouldn't have gotten shot. Maybe he should have called the police department to let them know that he was about to go outside and get his cigarettes. Maybe, just maybe he should have had on business attire, with an American flag on his person, his social security card, his birth certificate, a deed to his house, and a current utility bill to prove place of domicile was indeed where he actually lived, I guess he would have avoided getting shot. Then again, he would have still looked suspicious because of the business suit. Maybe he should have been wearing a bright neon colored outfit so that everyone could see him. Then again, he would have been mistaken for an escaped convict or a convicted felon. Maybe he should have kept all of his neighbor's phone numbers as to alert the neighborhood so they know when he is coming or going.

I know people will read this and think I'm over reacting. I'm okay with people thinking that and here's why. I used to work for a lawn care company and I went through neighborhoods and knocked on doors while selling lawn care services. My uniform consisted of a khaki colored polo with an embroidered company logo on the right breast, khaki shorts, tennis shoes, an aluminium clipboard which contained fliers (some of which were fixed to the outside of the clipboard for easy access), a pen, and applications. I carried a bright orange and black square foot measuring tool, and a yellow walkie talkie fixed to my shorts so I could communicate with the home office while I was on the field. Your so called average person would see someone wearing and carrying all of that and think, "Oh that's a salesperson who works for a lawn care service. They are not harmful." Well, that was certainly not the case. I had been tailed by not one, but 2 police cars in almost every neighborhood I went to. I had been pulled over while walking, I had my plates ran, and I had been asked to show ID on several occasions.

I guess the logic behind this would be , "Well, you should have had a better job." << Get The Fuck Outta Here With That Bullshit.

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