Back to the harassed by the COPS part of the thread. I was visiting my mom in Palo Alto a few years back (after I had moved to San Francico) and I was once pulled over because I didn't have my registration stickers. (they hadn't sent them to me yet, but I did have valid registration card inside the car, which I showed the officer.) FIRST of all the cop OPENED the PASSENGER side of my car on his own. as soon as he walked up, which I don't think is very cool.
He asks me if I knew it was expired blah blah I show him the card, but tell him the stickers haven't come yet. He looks at the card asks me "what I'm doing here" First of all Palo Alto his half an hour from San Francisco, big deal if I half an hour away from "home." second of all even though my registration said San Fran. my license still had my address in Palo Alto because I had JUST MOVED, so obviously I probably had some reason to be down there.
He proceeds to ask me to look at him, open and close my eyes, inquires if I'm on drugs (I have NEVER done ANY sort of drug IN MY LIFE) tells me something about my eyes tells him I'm on drugs. THEN he asks if I've ever been arrested ??!!!
I tell him no. He proceeds to look around my car, (not touching anything, but definitely LOOKING for SOMETHING to comfirm his thoughts that I'm high or whatever) After he cant' find anything, he writes me a fix it ticket and lets me go.
I WAS SOOO TRAUMATIZED. I really don't know what made him give me such a hard time, but I certainly WAS NOT on drugs (any person on GC who has met me IRL can testify that I don't "look" like a druggie) I was dressed for a job interview that I'd had earlier that day, my car wasn't crappy or anything, so the only thing I can think is that he was going by the color of my skin.
This is really the only problem I've had (seemingly) because of race and it made me upset.