I was driving down Fourth Avenue today. Fourth is a speedy one way, five lane street. Many of the streets that deposit into and exit out of Fourth Avenue are also one way. I was on the phone talking to a friend, as I started to make a left turn and was getting ready to make joke with my friend that on the corner of the street was an Asian police officer…something I’d never seen before in Columbus. It was then I realized that I couldn’t continue with my turn because the street was one way in the wrong direction.
The officer saw me and told me not to back up and continue with traffic (I was not blocking traffic) but to go ahead and continue down and then turn around…so I did. I drove a few hundred feet and turned into an abandoned lot in order to turn around. During all of this there was porch with about seven or eight black men on it, and they kept screaming something at me which I couldn’t make out. I figured they were telling me I was going the wrong way and decided to ignore it at first but then realized they were saying things like “Ohh they are gonna get you”. Almost at the same time I saw a police car pull up behind me blocking my exit. In the car were two white officers. I turned my car off and then heard the people on the porch loudly arguing that nothing was going to happen to me because I was white.
One of the officers got out of the car and came up to my window. “Do you know this is a one-way street?” Trying not to sound nervous I said “Yes, but the officer standing on the corner told me to go ahead and come down this street to turn around, rather than back up into traffic.” He smiled and answered “Well next time try to pay more attention. Have a nice day.” I said thank you and turned my car back on as the men on the porch began to holler that they were right that the police weren’t going to do anything. As I drove past the men a few yelled that I was only being let off because I was white.
Odds are really good that I wasn’t hassled because I was a woman, and because in the eyes of everyone involved, I was white. But what was I going to say?
i see your point, hey, take advantage. i hate police and i hate getting tickets. for me is a lot different, police don’t even say hi or talk to me, they just ask for my license, go, and come back with my ticket. not even a ‘be careful.’
Oh yeah, you definitely benefited from the privilege of your skin color and your gender. At least you didn’t cause anyone harm. That could’ve been scary.
ja, take advantage of this white privelage, then please for godsake EM, HANG UP THAT PHONE. Don’t make me protest you. seriously.
no…. seriously.
Take advantage of it every chance you get. There’s nothing wrong with that. Of course you’re cute too ;)