Thursday, May 7, 2015

On Police Brutality

I'd like to paint a picture for you:

I'm sure you've done some traveling where you'd have to visit an airport.

You know the part where they have to search you and have you go through the medal detector?

Well, let's say they make you spread your legs, they go inside of your pants. YES inside of your pants in order to make sure you aren't carrying anything dangerous. They touch you inappropriately, make you spread your butt cheeks apart, they make you open your mouth and take off your shoes. They even check your socks. They take off your hat, search it, and forcefully run their fingers through your hair. They do all of this while interrogating you about where you live, whether or not you're driving YOUR car even if the name on the licence and registration match), whether or not you have insurance, where you work, etc. This is also done when your car looks "too nice", meaning it looks like a car that "somebody like you" wouldn't normally be seen in.

What if you have a job that allows you to have that nice car? You get interrogated. They don't believe the car belongs to you so they run the plates AFTER they finish running your name and registration. Then they make you wait for another officer so they can search your car. They tear your car apart, find nothing, and leave you with the mess to clean up. 

Let's say it happens so much that you automatically "assume the position", which is where they make you turn around, face a wall (or something stationary) with your hands up, put your hands on the stationary object, and spread your legs far apart. And they keep pushing you to spread your legs further. And you can not spread them that far. Not because you are hiding something, but because you just aren't that flexible. And they keep pushing you around, grabbing you and telling you to comply even though you are already doing so. 

They insult you as they continue violating your personal space. They joke about it. They talk about you like a rare fish they caught over the weekend at the lake. They mock you.

And you can't do anything about it because if you move, they might kill you.

I'm sure you'd be royally pissed about that happening to you, right?
Well let's say that happens to you anywhere and without warning. You could be enjoying the sunshine by going on a walk, and all of a sudden the police show up and make you "let them" search you. 

Let's say you file a complaint against said officers. Nothing gets done and the officers are free to transfer into different departments. 

If you're unlucky, that report gets back to the officer. That officer decides to retaliate against you whenever you run into them again. 

^^ This is the sort of thing that happens in Black neighborhoods all the time. I've watched it. I've been searched before. Let me tell you. It makes a person feel dirty.

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