Watch People of All Races Make a Powerful Statement About Their Interactions with the Police
In light of the deaths of Philando Castile, Alton Sterling and the police killings in Dallas and Baton Rouge, discussion about racism in law enforcement is at an all-time high. Some #BlackLivesMatter detractors say the media hypes up instances of police officers racially profiling people and acting inappropriately. However, this VH1 digital original video might change their minds.
We surveyed 13 people of different races, backgrounds and ages (22-40) about their interactions with the police. We had them stand up if their answer to a question was "yes" and stay seated if it was "no." (Full disclosure: Most of them were VH1 staffers, but that is their only commonality. People in this sample hail everywhere from South Carolina to Brooklyn.) Were the answers surprising? No. Not if you understand the systemic racism in the United States. However, that doesn't make the responses any less powerful.
And when we asked if they think police officers don't care about them, only Black people stood up.
When we asked people in our sample if they've ever been racially profiled by police, only Black people stood up. When we asked if they've ever been physically confronted by a police officer, only Black people stood up. When we asked if a police officer has ever drawn a gun on them, only Black people stood up.
And when we asked if they think police officers don't care about them, only Black people stood up.
"The police has put hands on me more than once," Sarah Michel, a Black 27-year-old woman we sampled, said. "One time in particular, I was 14. I went to an all-girls school in Brooklyn. My uniform was a short skirt and a polo shirt. I came off the 2 train at Flatbush junction and was stopped for a 'random search.' I didn't even have a book bag, so I was confused as to what they could search. When I asked them why I needed to be searched with no bag, they told me to shut up and put me against the wall. They put my hands on the wall [like they wanted] to frisk me. I asked if a female officer should be doing it after continuously asking why I was being frisked. After I asked about the female officer, I was frisked anyway--more like violated. I took their badge numbers and reported it. Nothing."
"The police has put hands on me more than once. One time in particular, I was 14."—Sarah Michel, 27, Black
Marc Gardner, a 22-year-old Black man in our group, stood up when asked if he thinks police officers don't care about him. "Black men are seen as a threat," he said. "I feel like Black men have always been seen as a threat, which is why the police don’t care about my kind. It is so much easier to care and save someone who is white because that is what society deems as the norm and acceptable. History tells the story of Black people being put at the bottom of the totem pole, but white people take from our culture and make it seem better through their lifestyle. The cops don’t care about us because we are not at the top of the social hierarchy and we are not a priority."
Yes, white privilege exists, and it's something the Caucasian people in our sample fully owned.
"I believe I’m free because I’m white living in America," Ali Read, a 24-year-old white woman from the sample, said. "That may not be a PC answer, but it’s the truth. I don’t feel like my freedoms are being oppressed by police, and I don’t feel like I have to constantly fear for my safety even when I know I’ve done nothing wrong. I can walk around without the fear of being watched, and I don’t feel like I have a target on my back. Do I like the police? No. Do I think they are against me? Also no."
"I believe I’m free because I’m white living in America. That may not be a PC answer, but it’s the truth."—Ali Read, 24, White
Damian Bellino, a 32-year-old white man from the group, feels the same way.
"As a white man, I don’t think anyone is holding me back from living my life," he said. "The same can’t be said for Black men and women in America in 2016."
Watch the video above to see how our sample answered other questions, and give us your thoughts in the comments below.