This upsetting and frightening incident demonstrates why black parents in America must have 'the talk' with their children about the dangers of law enforcement, and how to hopefully survive such encounters.
In New Rochelle, New York, a white police officer drew his gun upon teenagers doing what all young people do when the snows of winter descend – have a snowball fight. Only these teenagers were black, which made their play a life-threatening endeavor when a white police officer entered the scene.
Here is the incident, captured on video:
The officer, who was
reportedly responding to a 911 call, and who has come under fire after this video was released, can be heard yelling, "Don't f*cking move, guys," as he points his gun at and frisks the youth in question.
He then sends them on their way, as though this were a normal encounter and appropriate police response.
If you're black, this indeed was a normative encounter. Appropriate? Only if you don't care about the lives of black Americans.
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David Harris-Gershon is author of the memoir What Do You Buy the Children of the Terrorist Who Tried to Kill Your Wife?, recently published by Oneworld Publications.