Part 2 of a continued story.
My son was home from college and he was running errands for me one morning. Later that evening my youngest son ran into the house afraid the same officer was outside harassing them. When I arrived my son had now become his new target. He and his friends were against his police car being harassed. He stated that he was getting several complaints of crack cocaine use and that he also heard my son playing his music too loud earlier as he was leaving. A few months later, my youngest son and friends were getting ready for a wrestling meet. They observed him watching them, so they knew to remain alert to his behaviors.
Shortly after, he approached them and pulled out his taser, asking which one would like to be tased first. Afterward, being followed and told that if they walked in our private streets, he claimed he would issue them a $200 ticket. I immediately went to the police department and filed a complaint, which only made him even angrier. He laughed and said that he’d heard about it. After numerous racially-motivated discrimination acts with this officer, even contacting the Civil Rights Commission with little to no avail, I had to stand strong and grounded in my faith. He had started to interfere with my well being.
I began to pray. I ask God for peace and I explained to Him how tired I was and that this burden I could no longer bare. I slept during the day just so that I could keep a watch out at night for my children’s safety because of all of the threats that I had received from him. Here’s where God stepped in. The Spirit said “I was to not fear him, and to start writing. The pen is mightier than the sword.”
After being obedient, what I had written as a paper trail I met inhumanity, wired up and developed a journal which led to my healing and writing a book called “Try’na Squeeze Into My Shoes” self published. I didn’t need any more clarification as to what my fellow brother’s and sister’s have had to endure.
My last encounter with this officer was in late one October. I had just been informed of the passing of a very dear friend of mine. Hurt, I raised my window, put on some gospel and began to soothe my soul. Well, my new neighbors were atheist and didn’t appreciate my grieving nor my music. Several hours later he beat on my door yelling my name advising me to open up my door. I went through all of my same prior drills, I’m here because you are either, walking too hard, talking too loud or just plain old living. You are being recorded and “somebody has called seven times to complain” about your music. I explained to him that I am in mourning, clearly sick mentally of his constant drawing of swords. That night is when I finally decided enough was clearly enough.
I wasn’t born into this world to be afraid or mistreated. No more lost sleep, no more looking over our shoulder’s being confined in our own house because of the racial issues that we kept having. Friends and family ran, thought that I was crazy that I spent five years fighting him. They felt I could have moved and even still fear for our safety. I’m telling my story because it’s a true story knowing that God has me. I can no longer be afraid to tell my real life story on racism. You CAN’T tell it if you’ve never lived through it so please never front. It’s an infinity amount of torture and pain on a black mother, who not only has to stand strong and keep two young black males at bay from wanting to protect their Mother. I had to stand strong and keep them in the right mind set only to be faced with the smirks and grins of him knowing that there was absolutely nothing we could do about him taking away their manhood, all the while embarrassing an belittling them even trying to program their minds with hate and animosity with his weak man mind set.
I told the officer that I would handle things and proceeded to close my door. That night’s altercation ended with him screaming through my home that I was a racist after I identified him as being one, he refused to close the door on such a cool night; I mentioned my daughter was cold and afraid. I was told that since I didn’t have a job that my heat should be free, that I was being recorded watch myself not touch my door. I felt threatened as we tussled to close my door and in fear after attempting several times to close it. He had turned it into a game, told my neighbors anything that I did that they didn’t like to call him and they agreed and closed their door. For our own safety I started yelling to make other neighbors aware in the mean time I sent my youngest son to get my cell phone and instructed that he lock his sister up safely somewhere. I dialed 911 and explained the officer had been at my home for more than an hour taunting me and I needed assistance with him.
My neighbor heard his commotion and called 911 as well. They sent out two officer’s, when they arrived I told them I was the victim and the one screaming for her life on the 911 call. Remember that even a older-white neighbor man called 911 as well seeing my situation, even with first insight of him being at my home for well over one hour moonlighting on his regular police job, I was still given his public citation for a stereo that he never heard with it later being dismissed without a hearing that I showed up for after receiving a reminder nine months later. Well, I thanked justice again walked outside he was still there he was never made to leave. He still asked me “Did you get your ticket.”
The next morning I gathered my children and went back down to the police department and we all filled out a grievance form. One late evening I had noticed a detective knocking on a few of my neighbors doors interviewing them. Finally he came to my family and
Remember when I told you how God stepped in I wasn’t even really needed, my small daughter gave the best interview you see the thing about truth is that the purest form is right from the mouth of a babe. A hearing was set another late evening 6:30 p.m. which I was unable to attend due to my daughter’s new illness. I called the next day and ask the outcome of my complaint and these words echoed in my ears. Finally, even after going to his superior, the board had found him guilty of misconduct and informed me that he would be “dealt with” accordingly, whatever that meant because he still didn’t stop even after being told. I went back downtown and applied for a restraining order in fear of retaliation him living only 100 hundred feet from me.
I was denied told that it could not be granted unless I had had a sexual relationship with him. I didn’t give up I refused to. When someone says that you’re going to regret that in the morning, especially when God is involved, you had better sleep till noon. One day with perfect timing, not my timing the resident manager decided that he was starting to become a “liability” risk after racially profiling the wrong African American (go figure) and it was not until then that I felt the true understanding of knowing that God will keep your enemies across that white line keeping you safe from the enemy. He was evicted him and his hate for black lives only given five days to move and I sat in my chair and watched him U-haul it out of there.
To be continued...
