If you follow me on Facebook, you would know I promised a crazy story tonight. And by far, this is the craziest thing that has happened to me in a situation like this anyway.
Basically the breakdown was calling for help from a police officer doesn’t mean they are going to give it to you. Instead, they turn you into the criminal, not the victim. Which is what pretty much happened to us.
We were driving to get something to eat and my husband was driving while I was in the passenger seat and our daughter in the back. We were in the turning lane making a left hand turn at a very busy intersection. All of a sudden, a man in a big blue truck decides he doesn’t need to go straight but indeed needs to be where we are turning. So at first we didn’t see him. We were turning as normal like everyone else until our car almost is side swiped by this truck trying to push us into the other lane. He was not patient about it. He did not try to slow down in anyway. My husband had to push his way over into the other lane and somehow, did not get hit by anyone else.
So this guy just gets in front of us and my husband pulls over along with him. They both get out of the car and the guy is like “What is your problem? You should have let me in.” My husband is telling him that he was in the wrong and could have seriously hurt someone since he was in the straight lane and we had the right of way by being in the turn lane and turning. I really thought the guy was going to apologize for almost causing a bad accident. Instead he goes on and on with his son about how arrogant we were for not stopping to let him pass us. A few minutes of them going back and forth, the man pulls out a gun from his hip.
That scared me. I have a small child in the car. This dude is crazy and going to shoot us all. He starts then to remove his shirt and tells my husband to go ahead and punch him. Start the fight and hit him. He really wants to beat someone up today.
I know my husband probably would have if we weren’t there {me and my child} but he says, “Sir, I’m not going to fight you but you just drew a gun out on me and I’m calling the cops.” The man says by all means to go ahead. He wants the cops to come.
So my husband comes back into the car and calls 911. He tells the dispatcher this man almost ran us off the road, then when confronted yelled at us about how we were wrong and then pulls out a gun while we have a child with us.
Four Sheriff cars pull up within minutes of the conversation. And the lady cop immediately draws a gun and tells me and my husband to step out of the vehicle and place our hands on the top of the car. Are you serious? We are the ones that are the victims. So they come over to us while another Sherriff looks as though he is comforting the man with the gun. Really?
We both have our hands held and then are patted down to see if we are carrying any weapons. Never in my life has this ever happened to me. I was like…uhhh that man has the gun, not us.
So after explaining what happened the cops told us indeed we are in the wrong and the man with the gun is correct. OMG! They told us that that man had every right to shoot my husband because my husband was a threat to him for getting out of the car to talk to this man about almost killing us on the road.
They said that it is not against the law for him to carry a loaded weapon and shoot on command if he felt the need to. And then they lectured us about being bad parents having a child in the car and endangering her confronting a man with a gun. No one knew he had a gun at first and the man got out of his car first.
I was shocked, pissed and seriously thought someone was going to jail and they try to say some BS. I never in my life would have thought the cops would tell us we were the bad guys here for what this guys could have done to us. They just were yelling very loudly at us, not even talking rationally. Just yelling that let the man drive how he wants and if it happens again, just slow down and let him do what he wants to do. And that if he were to have shot my husband, it would have been my husband’s fault.
We both felt so wrong in so many ways. No justice at all. They let us get back in our car while they shook the man with the gun’s hand and told him that they hope he has a more pleasant day. They told us they better not hear of anything else like this again from my husband.
Of course, it felt so much like racial profiling. Just because that man was white, he could have gotten away with murder. Literally. They did not like my husband and just judged him based on his looks. Because the first thing the male Sherriff said when he approached my husband was, “You know a Sherriff was just killed yesterday by a black man.” How fucked up is that? So now my husband is guilty and thrown the bone because of someone else’s mistakes? It just seemed so unfair us being treated the entire time. I am so mad at these cops. Justice was not served at all. We both felt that way.
Oh my gosh, how absolutely awful. This story should be in the news... I bet a lot of people would be outraged at how wronged your family was. I'd have been so mortified if that happened to us, with my daughter in the car especially. They owe you an official apology. On top of everything, that nasty racist comment? Unreal!!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh that is so wrong on so many levels. I would try to file a complaint with the police department because what they did is not right. Just because your husband is black does not give them the right to treat him like that. Wow reading this makes me so mad. You'd think that in today's day and age we would be past all this racial profiling crap. I am truly sorry you had to experience this.
ReplyDeleteThat was the one thing I kept stressing on our drive home. No apologies from anyone. They just acted so rude and when my husband asked for the one guy's badge number, he refused to give it. I know by law they are supposed to give it if a citizen asks. This was the most F*** up situation I have ever been in. My husband kept saying to me, "now you know what it feels like to be black don't you? If I were white, it would have been different." I hate to think things are truly like that but after today, it seemed so
ReplyDeleteBelieve me, it made me mad too. I always try to think that all the talk about how I'm white gives me such advantage. But after today, my husband told me I know know what it feels like to be black. And it was horrible. I mean, we were told the man could have shot us and it would have been alright. He had a license for his gun and that's all that mattered. So does that mean I can just go and shoot everyone I don't like then say I thought it was done because I had any reason? I guess I would have thought this to be done in a small town and never to me or my family. We talked about making a complaint but it seems like they stick together so tight, we still would be told we were in the wrong. It's bull. I honestly had a vision of them throwing him on the ground and hand cuffing him {I'm glad it didn't happen} but how are they going to act like they are patting us down when we called them for help? The system is backwards and it shows first hand in my eyes now
ReplyDelete:( if they won't listen or take your complaint seriously maybe take your story to your local news. Shine some light on it. Btw if you ask for their badge # by law they have to give it to you. Sounds like their police department needs to be investigated for racial profiling. Granted putting it on your blog does give you some coverage to shine light on this injustice.
ReplyDeleteI know they are by law to give the badge number. And that dick said we don't need it. His name was good enough {which of course, I wasn't even paying attention to his name}. I told my husband I was going to put this on my blog. He laughed and probably doesn't think I actually wrote about it, but I had to. Nothing like that has ever happened to me. Maybe other people who have felt victim to the law will also feel the same way ya know? Hopefully I don't have any more stories like this to write about in the future. I am white and it makes me so sad to see how our world still can be. The officer tried to make up for it I think cause he said "oh you have a pretty little girl back there." I really wanted to tell him fuck you. but you know, I think we both know where that would have led.
ReplyDeleteYeah :(
ReplyDeleteOMG girl, I am so sorry that happened. That must have been terrifying and infuriating. Sucks that even after all these years there are still people who believe that the color of a persons skin is an indicator of who they are as a person. Hugs girl.
ReplyDeleteIt was indeed the quite a day to say the least. It was very unfair and we were upset right afterward. But you know, now that things have calmed down, we look back and I just told him you know, next time.... just let it go. Obviously the cops are not on our side and next time, someone may shoot and then it would be your fault for being in the way of the bullet. So I would rather him let it go then have something happen to one of us since the cop said, anyone has the right to shoot you if they feel it was necessary. It's a cruel f**ked up world we live in
ReplyDeleteYeah I am pretty sure they have to give you their badge number!! Racism is so terrible. I was naive enough to believe it was pretty much gone, growing up, but in a lot of the US it is still very real. =( I have only had a small taste of discrimination myself, once due to being Jewish and once due to being a breastfeeding mom, but it's awful, and I can't imagine how it feels on a higher level like this.
ReplyDeleteI can not believe that happened to you! Orlando cops are douches, I know this, but to have the nerve to say you were in the wrong... really? I wish you could do something about it, but you can't, girl. They are so shady...
ReplyDeleteExactly girl! It was so messed up. The lady cop was the biggest bitch. Just because they hold "authority" does not give them the right to mistreat the victim. It is what it is...this is how we have just decided to see it as. You are right, there really is nothing you can do but at least I feel talking about it on my blog has served a bit of justice in my mind to let people know how crooked the world can be
ReplyDeleteThey ave serious issues! You deserved an apology. I would write a letter to the district attorney about the incident. I'm so sorry you were treated like that!
ReplyDeleteSorry that this has happened to you. First I don't think you should "let it go" that's part of the problem with WHY they THINK they can treat you and your husband this way, because usually "we" (meaning black people) don't stand up for fear of what those "powers that be" can do to us. BUt I seriously think you should call someone about the situation. It's truly sad that racism is still alive and well. Sorta makes me happy that we aren't in TN anymore, but it's everywhere and at least when we were in TN it was in my face, now I don't know "who" it is, here in MI. HUGS to you and your family, especially for your daughter to have to see that!!
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