"DRIVING WHILE BLACK"

“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;” (Revelation 7:9)

The major topic of discussion on news and public affairs shows for the past few days has been the controversial arrest of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates and the remarks about it made by President Obama. (For my “take” on that, go to the posting below this one and go to the link to the MetroWest Daily News.)

One of the things I’ve heard a number of affluent black people talk about is the number of times they’ve been unnecessarily stopped by white police officers and treated in a demeaning matter. Many black people suspect white police officers are out to get them. I've heart the expression "driving while black"; that is, the idea that blacks are stopped and harassed by white police officers for silly reasons just because they're black. What blacks don't realize is, whites are also sometimes stopped and harassed by both white and black police officers for seemingly silly and inappropriate reasons. I'll share two cases from my own life:

Exactly twenty years ago, I was driving in Framingham on my way to pick up my wife and two of my children. My youngest (age 3 at the time) was with me, seat belted in a child car seat in the back. I came upon a construction site. The detail police officer was a 40ish black man. He just stood there. He didn't indicate I should stop or go. Nothing. He just stood there like he was in another world. I stopped and waited for some direction from him. I waited and I waited. It was all very frustrating. Finally, I gave up! I started proceeding ahead. It took him probably at lest ten seconds to realize I was driving forward. "Hey!" he yelled and ran up to the driver's window. He proceeded to give me a big chewing out and tell me he could write me out a $100 ticket. Very calmly and very distinctively I stated the facts and I've stated them here. "I was waiting for some direction from you and I did not get any, so I finally proceeded ahead." He looked at my little girl. He looked at me. I think he felt very foolish. He yelled, "Aw...GET OUTTA HERE!!" And I did!

In another incident, I was driving along in Ashland when a white police officer put on his car's flashing lights and pulled me over. In an intimidating manner, he said, "Do you know I can write you a ticket for having your door open?!"

I was puzzled. "I have a door open?" I asked.

He then showed me the driver's door was not fully closed. I closed it, and he went back to the squad car and that was that. I'd just left one of those drive-through car washes, and I guess the force of the dryer had pulled my door partially open. Now, why couldn't that officer have come up to me in a friendly manner and said, "Sir, you've done nothing wrong, but I just noticed your door was partially open."? Had I been black, I would absolutely have assumed that was a "driving while black" incident.

This also reminds me of something that happened in my life about fifteen years ago. At that time I was being very badly and unfairly treated by a Town of Framingham Official. During this period, I was interested to read in the paper of a woman who was planning to bring that Town of Framingham Official to Court to charge him with discrimination against her. She had been very badly and unfairly treated by him and assumed it was because she was a female. The Official was quoted in the paper as saying that he did not discriminate against the woman and that he treated her the way he treated everyone else. I remember remarking to my wife that I’d be willing to testify IN HIS BEHALF in Court, because that was TRUE!

So to my African-American friends, I don’t doubt that SOME “driving while black” incidents take place, but regarding being stopped by police for silly reasons and being treated in a condescending manner: you’re not alone!