More On the Incident With the Black Man Stopped With Hands in Pockets

[mythology]

38. I'm white and was questioned for about 20 minutes by cops for a similar issue

It was annoying and stupid, but in my experience most dealings with cops are. I was early to look at an apartment and my knee stiffens up if I sit for too long so I paced back and forth while waiting for the landlord to get there (he was late) and in that time somebody called the cops on me for suspicious loitering. The cops decided I was obviously a drug dealer to which I pointed out that I must be a bad one as I had less than $20 in my wallet and no drugs on me. They searched me, questioned me repeatedly and were rather disgruntled when I was finally let go on my way and suggested that after such a strenuous, but useless, exertion, they should consider making a stop at the donut shop up the street so as to not harass any other innocent people.

Oddly enough, I didn't take the apartment.

In that situation, I didn't need to be such an ass and the cops should probably notice that I had headphones on and not approached from two angles to cut me off while getting pissy that I didn't hear them over my headphones and jerking away when a seemingly random guy not in uniform grabbed for me.

But I look at it similarly to how when I bike in the winter and stop at a store. I make sure I take my face mask off before entering the store or even the doorway so there's not confusion. Or if I need directions at night, being a big bulky guy, I generally don't ask women who are by themselves since I know I can come across as physically imposing, or if I do ask, I make sure I'm standing in a well lit area and my hands are visible and stay several paces away. I recognize that even though I know I'm not a threat, others don't have that same knowledge.