On the subject of Race Relations, there seems to be no shortage of people looking to be offended. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying that there aren’t problems associated with race. Clearly there still are problems. We don’t live in a perfect, color-blind, world yet. A recent incident here in Pensacola, FL comes to mind. But when people of responsibility make accusations that foment racial tension, it just makes the hair on my back (which my wife will attest to) stand up.
Thomas Sowell calls it being belligerent. I agree and for those doing it, I see it as having a chip on your shoulder. Neither of which will earn you brownie points with the police in the course of their duties. It may even lead to you being killed.
Case in point is U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill), from the 7th district in Chicago. He was pulled over by police for what he claims is ‘driving while black.’ He was given a $75 ticket for a moving violation. Davis says . . .
“I hope that this was some kind of isolated instance, but I know in my heart of hearts, I know that it’s not”
He fails to see that the duties of that officer are to protect himself and others with whom he could have had a head-on collision. Hearken back to former Rep. Cynthia McKinney, who committed battery on an officer for doing his job, keeping the capitol building safe and secure. She said it was because she was black. This, in a building where intruders have come in and shot and killed people. There is no measure of understanding from people like McKinney and Davis, other than, I’m black so leave me alone.
Davis says . . .
“There was just no reason I could conjure up other than the fact that there were four black people in a car.”
Oh really? What about swerving over the center line in the wee hours of the morning? He ought to be thankful he wasn’t given a breath test. Had he been drinking, and there is no evidence that he was or wasn’t, his ticket could have been much worse.
By contrast, Thomas Sowell has his own experience of DWB, Driving While Black.
Twice within the past few years, I have been pulled over by the police for driving at night without my headlights on. My car is supposed to turn on the headlights automatically when the light outside is below a certain level, but sometimes I accidentally brush against the controls and inadvertently switch them to manual.
Both times I thanked the policeman because he may well have saved my life. Neither time did I get a ticket or even a warning. In each case, the policeman was white.
and
Recently a well-known black journalist told me of a very different experience. He happened to be riding along in a police car driven by a white policeman. Ahead of them was a car driving at night with no headlights on and, in the dark, it was impossible to see who was driving it. When the policeman pulled the car over, a black driver got out and, when the policeman told him that he was driving without his lights on, the driver said, “You only pulled me over because I am black!”This was said even though he saw the black man who was with the policeman. The driver got a ticket.
There needs to be some distinction between driving while black and driving while being a jerk.
CBS2 Chicago | Driving While Black | What Color Is Articulate?
