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.
3 comments:
Yep, people can be ignorant! And in Trayvon's case, the 'stand your ground' law didn't help.
Though, there is another side to these experiences. Have you ever been accused of being racist because you are white, and there was not validity to the accusation?
I think that most instances I have witnessed lately of that happening (someone being accused of being racist who had not done anything with malicious intent), there was a cultural misunderstanding. What we perceive as polite and/or acceptable behavior can sometimes be rude and disrespectful through the lens of a different culture. And in Zimmerman's case, when you look at the 911 tapes and other things that have come out, he was clearly acting on a bias. Vigilante law is stupid.
I won't say profiling never happens, especially since my husband gets profiled at airports regularly and gets the full body search that the rest of us don't. I also won't say that everything can be chalked up to be a misunderstanding. Some people are just rude, awful people and will try to play a card they don't hold.
And just b/c I am caucasion doesn't mean I am the instigator.
Back to Zimmerman, he clearly is an ignorant loser who hopefully is rightly punished in a court of law.
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