This weekend, I was lecturing my kids before they went out to ride bikes. I asked them “what is the most dangerous car?” The answer I was looking for was “a car going in reverse.”
My son furrowed his brow, and then his eyes popped!
“A POLICE CAR!”
I hugged him and said “That is exactly right, you get full points. But also watch out for cars backing out of their driveways.”
And isn’t that sad?
When I was a kid, we were taught that the police were our friends. In some towns, that might still be the case. And, for a four year old, that is still probably the case, no matter where you are, as long as that four year old is not black. I’m not exactly sure when a black kid turns into “the enemy” to the police, Black kids turn into the enemy at about 10 years old (source), and sooner or later, we all do.
When that day happens for my kids, I want them to realize that the best thing to do when it comes to the police is to avoid any contact with them whatsoever.
And this comes from a guy who used to be an attorney for the Police Benevolent Association.
