Driving home one night in my sporty mommy mobile, the little one strapped in the back, happy and singing (as usual); we are behind a truck that is going slow. The person driving the truck puts on the blinker and turns left into a driveway, then I see the police car sitting in the street. I proceed to drive slowly, pulling to the right to go around the police car. Out of no where, a policeman approaches my vehicle - arms spread wide, chest in the air, walking hard. I stop and roll down my window:
Me: Oh, I'm sorry officer is the street closed....
Officer: What the hell are you doing (shouting) caint you see the damn street is closed?
Me: Officer, had I known the street was closed, I would not have proceeded, I am not sure why you are getting loud with me, but could you please keep it down, I have my child in the car.
Officer: (not as loudly) The street’s closed, turn it around.
I roll my window up feeling crunchy. There's a whole different vibe in the car and of course, the singing has stopped. I turn around to go in the opposite direction, feeling highly pissed, with no outlet. As I head back in the other direction, I notice there are at least five other cars behind me, so clearly the officer had not properly closed off the street. Why was it necessary for him to come at me like that right off the bat? Didn't the mommy mobile and the child in the back indicate that I more than likely was not a threat?
This is just my latest story about how delightful the Peoria police can be and it's mild compared to stories that other people I know and love could tell. From where I sit, it's not a much of a reach for me to believe that a Peoria police officer beat a black man.
AND let me go on the record right here and debunk the myth that it does not matter how nice you say "Yes sir", or "No sir", or “Mr. Officer”. Unfortunately, all that matters is the disposition of the officer at that given time.
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Today there is a report in the
PJStar about Peoria Police Officers being fired for allegedly beating a black man. Commenters on blogs are going on and on - "Kevin Lyons is trying to get back at the police"; or "that perp was attacking the officers"; or “he should not have run”. People did you not see this headline:
POLICE OFFICERS ARRESTED IN
CONNECTION WITH BEATING A MAN...
They were ARRESTED, both of them and booked on identical charges of four counts of official misconduct, aggravated battery, battery and mob action.
There was an investigation conducted before these charges were brought and before they were ARRESTED. Obviously there is some truth to Bryce Scott's (the beat up black man) story. Not to mention the video, that clearly shows police officers stumping the *hit out of something/someone.
I know the officers are innocent until proven guilty, but… (okay, I am going to stop that thought right there, because that will take me off on a tangent about how black folks are seldom ever called to serve on a jury in Peoria).
Sure there are a lot of great police officers in Peoria and God bless them, they have a difficult job. However, my prayer is and always has been, that if I, or any of the people I know and love, should happen to deal with a police officer, Lord please let it be one of those good ones we keep hearing about.
