My White Hall Pass for Crime
Last week in a viral twitter post, Krista Vernoff listed all many times the police have been downright pleasant to her while she’s been belligerently drunk, violent, or stealing. This is a stark contrast to how Black and Brown people are treated by law enforcement. I slowly sank into my chair as I remembered all the times I’ve been cut the same slack as Krista
I started thinking about the importance of white people speaking up about the forgiveness they’ve gotten from police officers. Contrasting to the profiling and force used against minorities might make the injustices more tangible for some. Perhaps more white people will stop and think about their own infractions and how they might have been treated differently with different skin color.
We see bad things happening to Black and Brown people at the hands of cops all the time. What we don’t see is all the white people who do the same thing and often receive lesser punishments or the benefit of the doubt.
There are many instances where I should and probably would have gotten arrested, assaulted, or shot if I wasn’t white. I have confidence that a police officer will treat me with respect if I show them the same, even if I’m caught doing something against the law. Our Black and Brown fellow humans don’t have that same luxury.
Let’s take a walk down my very normal life, visiting times when I’ve been a regular person and made mistakes, and take a glimpse at what might have happened if I had a different color of skin.
In high school, I was caught climbing on top of a public elementary school roof at night with some friends. This is trespassing on state property. The police were called because, duh, people living across the street could see us. When the police arrived, they told us to get down using really angry voices. My parents were called. No one went to the police station or was handcuffed. I had to show up in court and got a measly 25 hours of community service– a slap on the wrist. I watered plants at my church.
After that first big encounter with the cops, I was spooked after getting in trouble again, but I was a rebellious teenager. One evening, my friends and I were hanging out. We got hungry, so we walked down the street to get some fast food, which was risky because we were out past curfew for minors. A squad car pulled up and flashed its lights at us. I panicked and ran away from the officer. My friends were more level-headed and stayed put. The officer drove them home and had them tell me not to run away from cops.
Let’s compare this to similar incidences where Black and Brown people were dealt swift and fatal punishment from officers of the law. These incidences are well-detailed on Wikipedia, and many of my summarized accounts are adapted from there or news outlets.
In April 2017, 16-year-old Isiah Murrieta-Golding ran from the police in a shopping mall. The police were investigating a homicide from the day before, and thought the teen might have been involved, although there was no warrant for his arrest. As they started to handcuff him he panicked and ran away. The officers chased him onto a playground and shot him in the back of the head, killing him. The officers claimed that he was a threat because he reached for his waistband, but the video clearly shows he was just holding up his pants as he was running.
There were plenty of days in high school where I didn’t wear a belt and couldn’t run without holding up my pants.
Another time in high school, my friends and I decided to go golfing. Not on a golf course, but through town. We went to goodwill and bought suits and real golf clubs. We used wiffle golf balls instead of real golf balls. We thought we were being responsible because our balls wouldn’t break windows, but we were still walking down the middle of the street with golf clubs. We were a crowd of teenagers, mostly white and all dressed to the nines, walking around with full-size golf clubs, and taking full swings in the middle of the street. The police were inevitably called, and the officers simply laughed at us and told us to go home.
Sports equipment and tools can also be construed as weapons. Black and Brown people seen carrying tools by police have been shot.
On June 2, 2020, Sean Monterrosa, a 22-year-old Latino American man, was fatally shot by Vallejo police officer Jarrett Tonn. Monterrosa was on his knees and had his hands above his waist when Tonn shot him through his windshield. The police later said Tonn shot him because he believed a hammer in Monterrosa’s pocket was a gun. Monterrosa later died at a local hospital.
There was another time I stole a candy bar from a convenience store. I was a little nervous to do it, but I had the confidence that the worst that would happen if I was caught is I would have to apologize or my parents would be called.
On August 9, 2014, the police were called on Michael Brown Jr, an 18-year-old black man, after he stole a pack of Swisher Sweet cigars from a convenience store. Michael Brown was confronted by officer Darren Wilson, and he fled. He was pursued and shot six times in the chest. Michael was unarmed. He died on the street less than 90 seconds after encountering officer Wilson.
I’ve been pulled over while driving many different times for having a lapsed registration, not using a turn signal, speeding, and having my music so loud it was a public disturbance. More than half the time I’ve only received a warning.
On July 13, 2015, Sandra Bland, a 28-year-old black woman, was pulled over for failing to use her turn signal, although she thought she was pulling to the side of the road for an emergency vehicle. The officer asked her to put out her cigarette and when she calmly asked why he escalated the situation and told her she was being arrested. Bland asked the officer why she was being arrested. She was then pulled from her car by Officer Brian Encinia who slammed her head so hard on the ground that she lost her hearing. Sandra Bland was found dead in her jail cell the next day, and it was ruled a suicide.
On July 6, 2016, Philando Castile, a 32-year-old African American man, was fatally shot during a traffic stop by Jeronimo Yanez. Castile was driving with his partner Diamond Reynolds and her four-year-old daughter when their vehicle was pulled over by Yanez for a broken tail-light. After being asked for his license and registration, Castile told Officer Yanez that he had a firearm (Castile was licensed to carry) to which Yanez replied, “Don’t reach for it then”, and Castile said “I’m, I, I was reaching for…” Yanez said “Don’t pull it out”, Castile replied “I’m not pulling it out”, and Reynolds said “He’s not…” Yanez repeated “Don’t pull it out” and then shot at Castile at close range seven times, hitting him five times. Castile died at Hennepin County Medical Center, about 20 minutes after being shot.
Black and Brown people are profiled for doing ordinary things, as simple as wearing a hoodie. I’ve walked around wearing a hoodie on countless occasions and have never felt threatened.
On the night of February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida, Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old African-American high school student was shot by George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch coordinator for his gated community. Martin was visiting his relatives at the time of the shooting. Zimmerman shot Martin, who was unarmed. Zimmerman had previously notified 9–1–1 that Martin looked suspicious, like he was on drugs, and wearing a hoodie, to which the dispatcher told him to stop following Martin. Zimmerman had made several calls the police in the last few months to report “suspisicous people”, all of whom were black males.
I’ve left my front door open.
On October 12, 2019, Fort Worth Police arrived at 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson’s home after a neighbor called a non-emergency number, stating that Jefferson’s front door was open. Officers went through her back yard without identifying themselves. Police body camera footage showed that when she came to her window to see who was outside, Officer Aaron Dean shot through it and killed her, within seconds of seeing Atatiana. Police stated that they found a handgun near her body, which according to her nephew, she was pointing out the window before being shot.
Or unlocked.
In September of 2018, 26-year-old black man and accountant Botham Jean of Dallas was sitting in his home after work. Off-duty police officer Amber Guyger murdered Jean after entering his apartment through the unlocked front door, unannounced. Guyger claims she believed she was in her own apartment at the time of the shooting, which was one floor below Jean’s.
I’ve slept in my own bed in my own house.
On March 13, 2020, Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old African-American emergency medical technician from Louisville, Kentucky, was fatally shot by Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) officers. Three plainclothed LMPD officers, looking for two people suspected of selling drugs that didn’t live there, executed a no-knock search warrant shortly after midnight, using a battering ram to smash down the front door. Gunfire was exchanged between Taylor’s boyfriend Kenneth Walker (licensed gun-owner) and the officers, one of which was shooting blindly from outside a window. Walker said he believed that the officers were intruders. The LMPD officers fired over twenty shots. Taylor was shot eight times. Criminal charges have yet to be brought against any of the officers.
I’ve grilled outside.
On June 1, 2020, protesters of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd’s death gathered in front of a local restaurant owner’s BBQ stand. David McAtee ran YaYa’s BBQ shack, and was known as a beloved fixture of his community, often serving food to police and those in need at no cost. Police opened fire at the crowd of protesters after allegedly hearing a shot fired, however, body cameras were turned off, against protocol. At least eighteen shots were fired by the police into the crowd. David McAtee was struck in the chest by a bullet, and his body was left for 12–14 hours on the street.
I’ve always felt confident that I can approach an officer and honestly admit a mistake and comply and be treated respectfully in return.
On March 3, 2020 in Tacoma, Washington, Manuel Ellis, a 33-year-old black man was having a friendly conversation with 2 officers when another officer threw open his car door and knocked Ellis to the ground while assaulting him. Officers alleged that Ellis initiated a confrontation by striking a police car and attacking officers. During the assault Ellis continually stated “I can’t breathe” and was filmed by an eyewitness. The Pierce County medical examiner, ruled the death a homicide due to physical restraint. Manuel Ellis was a 33 year old musician at his church, and had two children: an 11-year old son and an 18-month old daughter. According to a lawyer for the family, Ellis was walking home after playing drums that evening at his church.
There are even more times I’ve been doing things that I believe would have alerted the police if I’d been Black or Brown. I can’t count the number of times I’ve climbed through a window if I’ve locked myself out of my house. In high school, I loitered around liquor stores and asked people to buy me booze as they walked in.
White friends, take a minute and think about the mistakes you’ve made and how the color of your skin has offered you the privilege to have a second chance, or a third chance, or infinite chances. For many of us, making mistakes is part of growing up. Everyone needs understanding and compassion so we can grow and become productive members of society. Minor mistakes and peccadillos like these don’t need to be completely overlooked, but no lesson is learned from a knee onto the neck or a bullet.
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