What You Can Do if You're a 17-Year-Old White Male without Getting Shot by Police

[MineralMan]

Last edited Tue Nov 25, 2014, 03:40 PM - Edit history (1)

You can steal some cigars from a convenience store.
You can be stopped by the police for almost anything.
You can drive slowly through the wealthiest neighborhood in town.
You can drink too much and get rowdy with your friends.
You can get drunk and get into a fight with someone.
If you're a high school athlete, you can sexually assault someone.
You can walk down the middle of the street.
You can be out after midnight on foot.
You can carry a baggie of weed.
You can sell a baggie of weed to someone.
You can hang out with any number of your friends.
You can get thrown out of a bar for fake ID.
You can have sex with the police chief's daughter and get caught.
You can have sex with the mayor's son and get caught.
You can listen to loud hip-hop music in your car.
You can insult a cop. You shouldn't, but the cop won't shoot you.
You can run away from a cop who tells you to stop. He'll chase you, maybe, but won't shoot you.
ETA: Walk down a residential street wearing a hoodie.

See, the thing is that you're a white kid, and cops almost never shoot white kids. They might arrest you or even rough you up a little, but they won't shoot you unless you do something really stupid like point a gun at them. They won't, because the community will react badly to that and the cop will get fired or something.

Now, if you're a 17-year-old black kid, and you do any of those things, you're risking your life. Doesn't sound fair, does it? It's not. It's official racism at work. It's not your fault. It's the fault of the community. That should change, but don't hold your breath.