What My Parents Never Had to Tell Me

The other day I was in the car with my good friend, driving through a rather affluent area near Seattle. We missed a turn and had to find a way to turn around, and my friend remarked that she needed to drive carefully so that she didn't get pulled over. At first, I assumed she was thinking that because we were in an affluent area, they would have more vigilant police who are more likely to ticket. I realized, though, that her concern was something I have never had to think of. My friend, you see, is an African-American woman. Based on her own personal experiences, she has learned over the span of her almost 40 years that there is such a thing as getting pulled over for a DWB. That is, Driving While Black.

Growing up I never really understood the controversy that would bubble up from time to time in the news surrounding incidents where people of color would protest loudly that the police were profiling. I found it unsettling and naively hoped that claims were not founded. The current outcry over the shooting of Trayvon Martin and how Florida police handled it is the perfect example of the type of story that would make me uneasy.  As a teenager I would be confused by stories like this, especially if the incident in question happened in Seattle. If it happened somewhere else across the country, sure, I could believe that racism was alive and thriving, in those places. I would have been outraged by Trayvon's story as a young person, much as I am now.

The difference is, now I do believe that things like the tragic shooting of Trayvon can and do happen in my beloved Northwest. From all accounts, Trayvon was a sweet kid. Not perfect, but not out causing trouble by any means. Even though my eyes have been opened just a teensy bit to the racist attitudes and prejudices that exist today, I am flabbergasted that the shooter in the case was not even arrested or charged with anything, even though he admits to shooting young Trayvon. Because he claims it was self defense, he has not been charged. That leads me to ask the very intelligent question, "um, what?" He sees the boy, calls the police, they tell him not to follow the kid, he does anyways, and then claims this 140 lb 6'2" kid started an "altercation" and so he was forced to shoot him in self defense. If you listen to the 911 call, Zimmerman doesn't really report that Trayvon has actually done anything other than walk down the street (although it was raining, which apparently makes this suspicious...). Some neighbors have come forward vehemently stating Zimmerman was in the wrong. The police still seem unmoved. It's a heartbreaking story and I could say quite a bit more, but my point here is, it happens. I do believe this story would be playing out quite a bit differently had it been a white teen. And the lessons children of color are forced to learn from incidents like this are troubling.

As a product of this story, there are all kinds of discussions and news stories bubbling up. One of them was this one by NPR. In the audio story, several people relate their memories of The Talk their parents had with them at a young age about how they should interact with police officers and other people of authority. This story struck a chord with me.  I have gained a new understanding of the reality of the necessity parents of children of color feel to have these talks in the last few years. I have talked with women I work with, and who I respect and value, who have related to me specific instances where they, as women of color,  and family members have been profiled here in Seattle as well as in other areas. I have observed the sometimes subtle and sometimes blatant difference between the way that everyone from persons of authority to business people interact with me (a white woman), and my friend (a black woman in a more powerful and prestigious position). The reality of these differences is something that my friend has been aware of all her life. For me, it's been a recent awakening to the reality of the difference. If she is pulled over by the police, she thinks about things like where she keeps her hands and the tone of voice she uses. I think about how much it's going to suck if I get a ticket and how it will impact my insurance. I don't think I've ever been refused service anywhere. I've stood with her and witnessed a local businessman decline to give her service when he clearly could have given it. It's all very polite here in the Northwest (at least it has been when I have been present), but it's there. Whether it's conscious or unconscious (and I believe it happens both ways), racism is alive in the Northwest. So I can joke about the possibility of her getting pulled over for a DWB (which I did that day, in an insensitive moment), but the reality is, it happens, and it's not funny.

Important Issues on the News.

I like to ponder the deep things in life. Like this:



Really, I've been thinking hard on this. My thoughts include:

1. What *exactly* is in that video. Her description is odd. What are the girls doing? What was the context? They make it sound like NC-17 stuff.
2. The Police? Really? People are demanding criminal charges? I mean, yeah, the teacher is stupid. Don't show videos you have not reviewed yet, dork. Don't let students YouTube things in class. Duh. But should he be jailed for dumb?
3. Why, when I googled this to see if there was more information out there, was the other thing I found on this high school that some brilliant policeman maced some Tongans for doing a Haka at the end of a High School football game? (warning: watching this video might possibly cause puking or just seizures. Don't watch too hard. But you'll get the idea.)



Way to be culturally competent dude. Six dudes doing a Haka does not equal a riot. Simmer down. Okay, this article says it was fifteen men and boys(seriously wondering based on the video if they suck at counting...) but really, this is silly. The police should take some responsibility and admit they might have used a better method for crowd control in this instance, right? The issue, supposedly, was that they were blocking the exit. So the police department could say, hey, we're gonna do some trainings on this, right?  Ummm, not so much. They said "hey, these folks coulda been starting a riot. We didn't know! We never seen a Haka" Are you kidding me? They took a look at a group of Polynesian men moving in unison and chanting in their native tongue, and it looked like a riot? They got some smarts out there in Roosevelt, UT! But, you know, they waited 17 seconds after ordering the men to "make a hole" to allow people out of the stadium. I am STUNNED that the judge thought the officer was justified in thinking he was in "immediate threat to danger."

Moving on from tangent...

4. (remember, I was making a list up there ^^) The mascot for Union High School is the Cougar. (I discovered this in the article about the Haka "riot."). Really, good people of Roosevelt, shouldn't you also be protesting this, along with the obscene Tosh.o clip? Because, as you know, Cougars are just not appropriate. 

My Ah Ha Moment with George

I've never really understood protests. It always seemed like such a silly concept to me. Let's go be somewhere that we are possibly not supposed to be, and wait to be arrested. OR, we can get a permit and be allowed to be there, and sit around and think deep thoughts about the issue. That was how protesting always seemed to me in my less mature years. Now that I am so much more mature, I am beginning to get it. This, right here, is the perfect illustration:



Also, siiiigh. ABC is so dramatic. BBC just told it like it was. ABC said they "stormed" the embassy in the article attached to this video. Um, they are standing around surrounded by cameras like they are at a Red Carpet event. Really? Stormed? In one of the other videos, the report described them as being "hauled away." Yes, as you can see, it was brutal. I love the part where the officer with George pauses while he gives statements to a few different reporters. Pretty sure there was more storming by reporters than by George and Co. And then there's BBC, which is all "Hey, George got arrested. Let's talk about Sudan."

But I digress. My point is, I totally get it. Look at how much press this whole Sudan thing is getting. I didn't hear about it because I avidly follow the national and international news. No. I am not that well informed. They do not talk about Sudan on ilovemindlessentertainment.com. No one I am following has pinned it yet on Pinterest. And nothing has gone viral yet on MyFace, so there's no "if you care about the children you will repost this, and show you that you are really my friend and that I don't have to defriend you, PS check your inbox for the secret code that will stop the cancer if you post it in your status" yet. But oh, now that George is involved, there will be, my friends. Because the way I heard about this was because people are posting about George going to jail. And because George Clooney is involved, we might accidentally become aware of a world issue and like have feelings about it and stuff. So apparently part of protesting is to get people's attention and get people talking about things. Who knew, right? I always thought it was so you could be in a club and not bathe and pitch tents at Westlake in Seattle. (My favorite part of that, Be Tee Dub, is the picture of protesters and police fighting over a tent. It's like a Boy Scout camp gone wrong. Fight the Man, occupiers! Don't let them take your nylon tent away!) George has got me thinking about Sudan. This does not sound good. And I'm betting all the Hollywooders will jump on the George bandwagon and there will be fundraisers and telethons and possibly a new song everyone gets together to produce. Or maybe there already have been but now that George has gotten arrested protesting, people like me will finally notice.

Seriously, I'm not mocking. I say, go George. Way to stick up for the vulnerable people of the world and do as much as you can to draw attention to this issue and demand a solution. I hope world leaders get it together and stop the insanity. And I totally respect him more now that I've seen him advocating for the oppressed, and not just as the "playboy" with his newest arm ornament...