Driving while black, the ultimate offense In America

don’t smile too much.

The cop approached my window and asked for license and registration. Upon retrieving them, the cop goes on the dispatch and informs the other cop that an “18-yearold Black female” was in the car.

I was let go and got off with a warning.

I didn’t think much of it until I told my white peers about the interaction and was met with silence.

“The cops never said anything about my race when I got pulled over.”

Americans.

The racism and force is also rampant with the officers involved with Nichols and Floyd’s death as well. The body camera footage that captured Floyd’s last moments was released approximately three months after his death, while Nichols was released 20 days afterwards. Two of Floyd’s officers were white and the other two were people of color, while Nichols’ officers were overwhelmingly Black. so they say.

Some believe that their race has nothing to do with the times that the body cameras were released because every police department is different when it comes to technology and reporting. But others believe that it was since Nichols’ officers were prosecuted quicker and dealt with faster in general just because they were Black.

So what happens next? Where is the effort given to the people by the government?

Police can start participating in events with the community so that they have the opportunity to get to know the people that they are protecting. And in return, the people may start to trust them. There is a gap in understanding between Americans and the government. Simply firing or charging those at fault will not bring back Breanna Taylor or George Floyd, and in this sense, Tyre Nichols.

However, mending it with understanding, testing and participation with those in power and the people they serve may prevent it from happening again. Not only that but appreciation from the Black community, because seeing it happening again and again is simply painful.

However, these likely aren’t the most topical examples. Many recent examples of – let’s say it how it is – pretty bad people include far more extreme scenarios such as abuse, assault, and manipulation, among other nasty things.

“You know I’m _____ right?”

A sentence that I’m sure many people have had to clarify about their race, ethnicity, sexuality, etc. when met with a comment made disparagingly about one of their identities. The moment the question leaves my lips, I am met with wide-eyed glances paired with obligatory apologies about how “they didn’t know.”

Passing in terms of race has been a tool for many to escape prejudice, but for many mixed race individuals such as myself, racial ambiguity makes it difficult to discern what others perceive you as. Being Black and Japanese, I have heard people think I was fully Black and vice versa. Thus making non-Black people feel comfortable making stereotypical Black jokes in my presence.

In 2023, being visibly Black or Asian isn’t beneficial to my safety. Black people are subjected to racial profiling and East Asians have been subject to violent hate crimes in recent years.

My first run in with racial profiling was — shocking — with cops. I got off work at 11 p.m., and was exhausted. This particular night however led me to make the innocent mistake of forgetting to turn on my lights. I didn’t make it far down the street before I was pulled over. Here we go. Hands on the wheel, no sudden movements and smile. But

Fortunately, I came out of my traffic stop alive, but for so many Black Americans, that is not the reality. Racial profiling is so prominent, we have coined the term “driving while Black” to describe the all too common scenario of getting pulled over because of our race.

In America, Black Americans have been killed by doing the mundane: driving, sleeping, walking, etc. Instead of being able to rely on law enforcement to keep communities safe, we must instead fear them. The instinctive check around the car when you see a police car approaching could mean life or death to Black Americans.

The fear of police for Black Americans stems from a history of unwarranted aggression and violence. Our modern day cops evolved from “Slave Patrols,” a system that’s intended use was to catch and return runaway enslaved people to their enslavers. Once slavery was abolished, cops were put into place to resume the job of the former “Slave Patrols” and maintain law and order.

However when Black Americans weren’t afforded to create generational wealth due to 400 years of servitude, crime and poverty became rampant in these communities and thus the target of the police. The association of Black Americans with wrongdoing is historical and runs farther than many are willing to acknowledge.

In a world full of aggressors and abusers, one must wonder at what point is forgiveness no longer a viable option.

It seems like nearly every day now, news breaks of some random person or celebrity getting “canceled” for their unjust actions or behavior. While not everything the internet cancels people over is bad, there’s certainly a fair amount of canceling that’s justified. Don’t think of it like getting canceled, think of it like having consequences for your actions or something.

Jokes aside, when do people get those elusive second chances? The answer may shock many and numerous people will never see it coming – it depends. There’s a wide range of mistakes and bad things a person can do that would result in society putting them under the judgmental microscope of emotional exemption.

For those lucky enough to have only forgotten their best friend’s cousin’s twiceremoved girlfriend’s sister-in-law’s brother’s boyfriend’s fiance’s birthday a few times, asking for that deliciously sweet second chance shouldn’t be too big of a request.

For those not so lucky, crashing a car into the driveway of the neighbor one too many times may likely significantly reduce the possibility of getting a second chance, or

Let’s take Justin Roiland for example. Justin, the co-creator of the popular adult animated comedy “Rick and Morty,” has recently been outed as a domestic abuser and has been accused of false imprisonment. In times like this, it should go without saying that Justin is in the wrong here.

There’s not much leeway for forgiveness and “I’m sorry” when the victim of your violent actions is damaged either physically or psychologically. There’s not and should never be any consolation for this kind of dehumanizing behavior. There’s nothing “schwifty” about this, Justin.

Another topical example of a filthy cad losing their second chance privileges is Twitch content creator Brandon Ewing, known online as Atrioc, who has been exposed for something that’s, to be blunt, absolutely disgusting.

Recently, the collective internet caught him with one hand on the keyboard and another – wiping the sweat from his forehead after people found he had NSFW deep fakes of female content creators. Not only is this damaging to the women’s reputations, but it’ll likely have devastating effects on their mental health as well.

It’s times like this when forgiveness was never an option.

Many people do deserve second chances. We aren’t perfect and we’ll never, not in a million years, be perfect. But it’s important to realize that there are some things we shouldn’t forgive. Not everyone deserves a second chance.