LETTER: Philadelphia's Finest

To the Editor: There were two patrol cars and one officer on foot. As I came out of the School of Social Work I noticed the officer on foot giving me a strange look. As I continued walking two patrol cars pulled into the intersection and an officer got out of the car and approached me. Before I could ask their business, the officer instructed me to "Drop my bags." He then directed me to turn around and put my hands on my head. I twice asked the officer about these instructions, but quickly realized that I had better adhere to his commands. I always thought that I knew how I would act in this type of situation, but I was not pre- pared for this incident. My mind drew a blank and the moment seemed surreal – I asked the officer why I was being stopped and he said that a woman had been robbed and that I fit the description. He had me keep my hands on my head and asked for identification. I indicated that my ID was in my book bag on the ground. He searched the bag, looked at my ID and said I could go. During this incident, I was aware that people were staring and observing the situation. I felt very much on display. After the incident I was so "drunken" by the humiliation that all I really wanted to do was go back to my room and shut out the world. I searched my mind for answers about this treatment and I could only come up with the fact that I was publicly accosted because I am a black male. The stigma stayed with me all day. Later, I walked back to the site of the incident several times to condition myself to the reality of what took place earlier. Somehow this helped. I am a graduate student at one of America's premier universities, but I believe that I was accosted like a street person because of my race. I am sure this is not the first incident of its kind. I would like others who may have been treated similarly to speak up, because we must demand respect, not acceptance, from the law. This incident brought a jolt of reality to my life as a black student. We need to stand together to insure that our rights are protected. Major Barnett Social Work '95