Who is the Real Danger? Fighting Bad Policing and Bad Policy
While going through my grandfather's belongings after he passed, we discovered a book of poetry he had written. One of the most intriguing elements was a series of poems regarding the advancement of Black Americans. What fascinated me was that these were written long before the Civil Rights Movement of the late 1950s and '60s. Even in an era when lynchings still occurred and racial discrimination was legal, he remained proud of the progress being made. It makes sense; he likely knew people who had been enslaved, and he understood that the march toward full citizenship and freedom is a long one. I found myself reflecting on this a few months ago after I was pulled over for a traffic stop for no discernible reason. I was stopped by a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer and his partner in Washington, D.C. The MPD is the District’s local police force, and being stopped without cause is a frustrating experience. The "Talk" and the Reality of Power Unfortunately, I...
