My Thoughts and Being Questioned by Police

I have been very silent here lately and mostly due to having to have some time to think and recollect on life. I needed some time to look at life from my own standpoint and not allow the craziness in the world to affect my thoughts, beliefs, or my attitude. 2020 has been a year that I feel like we are slowly losing who we are as human beings to things like Corona Virus, riots, protestors, racial divide and inequality, etc. 

My biggest question is are we not American's and are we not all human? Are we not all governed by the same laws as well as the same flag that flies over many buildings, ball fields, and in many yards? Do we not all bleed the same color? Can we not respect that we are all a little different and that is what makes America "the melting pot" that so many of our immigrants desired and would chance a loss of life to come too in many cases? 

Why do we have to be so racially divided? There are white criminals the same as black criminals, there are Asian criminals the same as there are Mexican criminals. There are women criminals the same as there are male criminals. Is there racial profiling in the country? Of course, there is. Is there gender profiling in the country? Of course, there is. Are there reasons that we have these profiling ideas? Of course, there is.  Does your race or gender alone give the police a reason to stop you? No, I don't believe it does. BUT- Yes, there is that three letter word- BUT whether you are white, black, Asian, Mexican, Native American or any other race that walks American streets daily, you are still human and you still must legally abide by the laws that are in place. When you are stopped by an officer, you stop! You respond with respect and clear precise answers, you show identification, and you follow the orders given to you. You do NOT argue with them, act hateful or belligerent with them, reach for a gun, taser, or any other weapon of yours or theirs, you DO NOT run from them, spit on them, threaten them, or openly act like a little punk with them. Officers work hard and deal with many different types of people throughout the day, they get tired,, frustrated, and mad the same as the rest of us. MOST of them handle those emotions well and do not allow their own feelings to affect their job or the next person they deal with, but one might. Just as they are not aware of what you are feeling, you are not aware of what they are feeling. 

I have heard the word white priviledged used quite a bit recently. I am aware of the idea, but I have never been priviledged in anyway. I have worked hard, obeyed the laws, and made sure I never put myself in a situation to be harassed by the police. BUT- there it is again! Last week, I was shopping at our local Rural King, a store I go to frequently with my grand doll. As we were almost finished with our shopping, I was approached by two police officers who advised me that they were following up on a report that I left my child in the car alone. " Excuse me?" I stated with I'm sure a most confused look on my face as she was standing next to me. ( Not my child, but grand doll). He again said he was following up on a report that I left her in the car alone. " NO, I PROMISE YOU" , I stated only this time with a little more clarity and authority than before. The police proceed to ask what car I drive, if I owned the previous car that the plates are registered to, as I have not been to the license branch yet, and if I am from our town. ( Which he already is fully aware of since he has run the license plates or he would not know they were registered to an Equinox and not my current car.) By this time, I am annoyed at whomever is wasting this gentleman's time with such an ridiculous claim. Then one officer asks, " Did you possibly come into the store, get a cart and go back out to get her?" She is walking beside me, and I know the look on my face again must have been priceless, as I thought what a dumb idea that would have been. She never rides in a cart, partly due to her leg issues and she is clearly walking beside me. Why would I need to get a cart before she gets out of the car? I am truly annoyed now, but I kept my calm. The officers proceed to (almost threateningly) say "We are going to watch the tape" to which I stated,  " Good, watch the tape. I promise you that she got out of the car at the same time I did." At that time, they both walked away and it was the last I saw of them. So, although, I never put myself in a situation to be questioned by the police, I was. 

I appreciate the fact that the officers were doing their jobs, but I was annoyed and had it not have shocked me so much, I might have been on the wrong side of the law because I would have probably not as been quite so calm. Anyone that knows my relationship with my grand doll, knows that I would NEVER put her in any dangerous situation. I did not even finish my shopping that day as I was scared and did not want anyone else to question my care of her. She is my everything! This story is told to allow others to see that women, whites, all humans are sometimes stopped for doing something that we truly did not do. How we handle the situation usually determines the outcome.

I could say much more, but I will not. Let me end this by saying that I am PRO AMERICAN- not democrat or republican, not dictated by skin color, religion, etc. We all need to be productive, law abiding citizen that look out for our friends, families and those around us.