We've been looking forward to this stop the entire trip, but ran into a minor complication as we traveled through the mountains and desolate towns of Arizona. To make a long story short, racial profiling and all around ignorance is alive and well in this country. Especially in remote locations, where the residents hardly see people that look like us, except from what they watch on television.
Got pulled over today (Feb 4th) in random town Arizona for what was a clear cut case of "Driving While Black" (DWB). No speeding, no lights out, no not wearing my seat belt, no traffic violations, nothing legitimate. But, a warning for having my GPS in the windshield. BOGUS!!! And that's why there was no actual ticket written. Supposedly its illegal to have your GPS in the windshield in the state of Arizona. Funny now many other (non-black) people passed us on the side of the road with theirs in the windshield, and the system came with the window mount. That mount will now work on the dashboard, as the officer suggested. Furthermore, I'm from Virginia, where its perfectly legal. I'm not looking up windshield obstruction laws per every state I travel through as I make my way throughout the country. He pulled out of the median after I passed him and rode along side me for a mile or 2 before getting behind me and turning his lights on. He pulled me over and asked me to step out of the car. And he had the audacity to continually ask me if I had drugs in the car. Are you kidding me? ABSOLUTELY NOT! NEVER! I guess all black people are supposed to be involved with drugs in some way? Clearly this guy got his police training from watching too much television. He tried to break me today because he himself was broken. Its a crying shame how after obtaining 5 college degrees between us, traveling throughout the world, meeting people, working, and learning so much, and now even with an African American president in 2010, we still have situations that occur like this one, in middle of nowhere towns across the nation, and BIG cities alike. Can we please finally get out of the age of so much ignorance? After traveling through the deep south where you would generally expect this type of treatment, and following the civil rights trail, I have a new appreciation for those whom came before me and experienced much worse. The south is actually where we've received the greatest hospitality along this cross-country road trip. Shout out to the wonderful people we encountered in places like Birmingham, Montgomery, Tuskegee, Atlanta, Memphis and Little Rock. True southern hospitality can ONLY be found in the south. So for all you brown people whom are reading our words, if you're ever traveling interstate 17 North in Prescott, Arizona towards the Grand Canyon, beware of officer H. Shrum, #K63, Beat 5, of the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office located at 255 E Gurley, Prescott, AZ. 86301. We're not the average road travelers. With my wife as an Attorney, I'd say we know a little bit. The situation itself is dead serious. But he himself, and his baseless actions today are almost comical. I kept my cool this time, because I have bigger things to accomplish, that do not involve ignorance in the state of Arizona. And at this point, the southwestern United States is dead last on my list of favorite places in the world. We will not be coming back here for anything.
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