I Am a Scared Black Man
On August 1, 2020, I was pulled over by the police while leaving a Target parking lot in my wife’s SUV. For a black man in America today, this experience can change your life or take it. When the police officer pulled me over I had no clue as to why, all I could do was stay calm, be respectful, and not make any sudden movements. He came to the window and told me that he pulled me over for two reasons. The first reason was that my registration was expired. This was fair, but I explained to him that our state had extended the deadline to get the registration up to date because of the pandemic (I’m pretty sure he knew this already). He told me that he understood and didn’t press the issue. He went on to tell me that the second reason that he pulled me over was for a blown brake light. It was at that moment that I remembered my wife telling me that her brake light was out.
After the explanation of why I was pulled over, the officer proceeded to ask me for my license and proof of insurance. I asked him if I could open up the armrest to get my license, he approved. I gave him the license and asked him if I could open the glove box to get our new insurance card since we had just switched over to a new company (I usually keep that info on my phone). This is when things got pretty weird for me. My hands began to shake uncontrollably and my heart started pounding. I didn’t know what this officer was thinking…
