Tyler Perry said in a message posted Sunday on his blog that he recently was pulled over by police officers, one of whom banged on his window and “badgered” him.
He did not specify which metro area police force was involved, but said he was pulled over on the way to the Atlanta airport.
After making a left turn from the right lane, Perry wrote, a police car pulled him over and an officer stated he had made an illegal turn.
“I signaled to get into the turning lane, then made the turn because I have to be sure I’m not being followed,” Perry said he told the officer. He wrote that he usually is escorted by his own private security forces in an unmarked car, and if not he constantly scans the rearview mirror to ensure he is not being followed. He said the officer asked why Perry might fear he was being followed.
“Before I could answer him, I heard a hard banging coming from the passenger window,” Perry wrote. He said the officer told him his window were tinted and then said, “put your foot on the brake, put your foot on the brake!” Perry said he was confused but heeded advice his mother once gave him regarding interactions with police.
“My mother was born in 1945 into a segregated hotbed town in rural Louisiana,” Perry wrote. “She had known of many colored men at the time who were lynched and never heard from again. Since I was her only son for 10 years, growing up she was so worried about me. It wasn’t until after I heard her voice that I realized that both of these officers were white.”
After one of the officers “continued to badger” him, Perry said, he told them, “I think you guys need to just write the ticket and do whatever you need to do.”
Perry said the officer told him, “We may not let you go. You think you’re being followed, what’s wrong with you?”
However, before the situation progressed, another officer approached, Perry wrote.
“This officer was a black guy. He took one look at me and had that ‘Oh No’ look on his face. He immediately took both officers to the back of my car and spoke to them in a hushed tone. After that, one of the officers stayed near his car while one came back, very apologetic.”
Perry concluded his remarks with a call for action: “RACIAL PROFILING SHOULD BE A HATE CRIME INVESTIGATED BY THE FBI!!!”
Here is a link for more on the matter.
http://www.tylerperry.com/messages/
yes, there are alot of police profiling in the united states i live in longisland new york on the east end and just because i have an old car sometimes they will pull me over to say my licenses plate is crookit or my muffler is hanging to low, little silly things or where are you going too. so yes racial profiling still exist we are all human beings just like everbody else and it's ashame the 60's and 70's are long gone but the racial profiling is still around only they do it in a sneaky way, but GOD gave me eyes to see and i see it everyday.
ReplyDeleteMy apologies to Mr. Perry, a most dignified, intelligent (not to mention gorgeous) man. (blush) I am ashamed to have skin color in common with those violent meat-heads, though I try to be a loving soul.
ReplyDeleteI feel we're in big trouble, heading int Police State territory, and we'd better look sharp, all of us, and try to help our fellow men. I've been harassed by the police returning a vehicle at midnight, and it was terrifying.
First he, in a voice that told us WHO/WHAT he was (bad cop) he told us sternly to "Step away from the car" and then he said "back away from the car." Next he had my boyfriend up against the vehicle while he patted him down.
The guy was a freaking dentist, for god's sake. But at that moment, I got it. I really, really got it.
We just haven't evolved that far, and because of the resistance of those still ruled by that cranky old desert God, Yahweh -- we're more interested in "Onward Christian SOLDIERS" than SAVE THE EARTH. Too bad for us; too bad for the earth.
A shout-out to Tyler Perry! You are loved!