ABC 7 News on Demand
I was literally slapped on the wrist by the long arm of the law Tuesday morning. My crime...answering the door.
At 4:30, I was startled out of my sleep to a loud banging on my bedroom window. Shaken, confused, and half asleep I laid in bed debating whether to address the rapping on my window pane. Hearing one male and one female voice outside the door, I began to assume that the couple that lived on the top floor had once again forgotten their keys. After minutes of contemplating what to do, I very reluctantly and sleepily exited my apartment, enter the hallway, and walk to the main door of the apartment building. Creeping slowly to the door, my weary eyes widened as I saw several police cars on the street through the glass door. Then, a young man in uniform, seeing me in the doorway ran up to my building. Confused I opened the door.
He questioned me, "What building number is this?" I obliged telling him the number. He then motioned attempting to enter the building. I raised my hand to the door, blocking the entrance and questioned "What's going on? Why..." and before I could ask for his badge number. He pushed my hand out of the way and brushed past me. Stunned, I stood back against the wall as another person in uniform, a woman rushed inside.
I shouted after them, "You didn't show me your badge! You don't have my permission to enter this building! Do you have a warrant?!" No reply. Only a look over the shoulder from the female officer as they charged up the stairs.
I returned to my apartment furious. My wrist still burning from where he had pushed me out of the way. I stomped to my bed mind racing, temper flaring with each second. "How dare he touch me?" I asked myself aloud.
Approximately thirty minutes later, during my failed attempt at sleep I hear more loud voices outside my window laughing and talking. Following the way I had just been treated I was in no mood for more twilight revelry. I march outside my apartment and see four people in uniform, including the two who had entered the building previously.
"Could you please be quiet?" I asked, "It's 5am and you've already disturbed me." The young woman mumbled. "What did you say?" I inquired. "Sorry, I said sorry," she replied. Annoyed and knowing her mumbling sounded nothing like I'm sorry, I declared, "I need all of your badge numbers!"
Then the young man, the whose hand print I still felt on my wrist snarked, "You don't even know what happened!" Hmmm I wonder why I thought to myself.
I angrily exclaimed back to the crowd of uniforms, "What I do know is that you never acknowledged yourselves as the police, you pushed me out of the way entering the building without my permission, and you don't have a warrant; all of which is illegal."
Another man in uniform, cried "Wait a minute," and began aggressively advancing towards me still standing at the door of my building.
Frightened and knowing I was outnumbered four to one and with no witnesses I declared, "I don't have to let you in. That's my right." I slammed the door returning quickly and safely into my apartment.
As I sat on my bed trembling from the encounter. I heard car engines, tires screeching, and sirens. It was over.
Miraculously managing a few hours of sleep I awakened to the reality of what occurred that morning. Still reeling I sat with my emotions and realized how betrayed and violated I felt by authorities who had sworn to protect and to serve me.
As I shared my story with family and friends each of them had their own personal account mistreatment from the authorities to share. My father who was also pushed out the way when his apartment was raided in Langley, Virginia decades ago, my friend in Brooklyn, New York whose car was hit by a police officer and the department "lost" the accident report, my colleague whose eye had just begun to heal from an officer that punched him in the face while being harassed in Chinatown in Washington, DC.
Sadly complaints filed against police officers who mistreat citizens and abuse their power have sadly become commonplace in our country. An extensive U.S. Department of Justice report on police use of force released in 2001 indicated that in 1999, "approximately 422,000 people 16 years old and older were estimated to have had contact with police in which force or the threat of force was used."
We need only to turn to the headlines for more examples of police harassment, profiling, and brutality. Henry Louis Gates, wrongfully arrested in his own home, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Leticia Elias tasered by two police officers at a child's baptism in Manassas, Virginia. Oscar Grant, shot and killed in the San Francisco subway. Fourteen-year old DeOnté Rawlings shot in the back of the head by an officer in Washington, DC. Countless citizens the throughout the United States have been hurt, permanently injured, or have died from excessive police force.
I was lucky. What if he had drawn his gun? What if I had not shut that door? What if they had not driven away? What if?
As my complaint is now in the hands of the city's MPD (Metropolitan Police Department). I wonder how I as a citizen can raise my voice to expose the blind eye our system continues to turn on the blatant abuses of power police officers implement on the public.
I realize that some may read my story and say "Oh, you're exaggerating. It wasn't that bad." Or question the validity of my story. Or may view the problem as, "Well there's only a few bad cops out there, but it's not the majority." However several undeniable questions remain: When law enforcement abuses their power and infringes upon our safety to whom do we turn? Are we to call the police on the police? And if so, can we trust the other officers to trust our word as civilians over their colleagues?
I don't know the answers to these questions. But what I do know is that I will not remain silent.
Comments
"I don't know the answers to these questions"
I do, they will always take the word of a cop over a civilian unless its so blatent they cant get away with it, and even then, they get a slap on the wrist with paid vacation. The police are out of control, and this is because our so called leaders veiw us as sheep to shut up and do as we are told, and if we dont do as we are told, we will be forced or punished. The police may realize this one day when people start shooting back, or taking revenge. I already drew the line in the sand, if they use a tazer on me or someone I love, they will be short a cop, realquick. This isnt a threat, but a warning, they lied about the us43 of tazers, they use them for "pain compliance"...torture, not what they claimed as an alternative to the use of deadly force. It IS us and them and they created it, we are the enemy to them. So, now they are the enemy to us. Thank the NWO......
You need to understand, they want a one world government, and since they do not want to let other countries have a bill of rights like our constitution, and all nations to be equal, they will bring us down to their level of treatment. This means encroachment on our rights that they want to be priveledges so they can take them away if they dont like how we think. This is a ploice state, a prison, and they are the guards. We are economic slaves...think otherwise? Try not paying taxes on your income or your house. They enslved us to the federal reserve and special interests. Look it all up, just google new world order and do a little reading.
Ya know what? The police didn't have to stop and tell you anything. They were answering a call. If the person in trouble had been one of your relatives and died and you found out that the police stopped to "chat" with another resident, you'd be crying fowl!! The RACE card would come out...(lol @ "my wrist still burning"...such drama) and to you RSBL, I hope that when you attempt to shoot a cop because he/she used a tazer on one of your law breaking unruly relatives, that you are met with a barrage of bullets.
Kerri, the police are public SERVANTS, not masters. They are overstepping bounds by the constitution, and if people were reponsible enough, they wouldnt need cops. Cops turned from peace officers into policy enforcement. Maybe YOU havent been on the wrong end of a cop having a bad day or feeling like they were the caesar of your town, or at the end of a tazer for a minor insignificant victimless "offense". So you can shove it. We dont need cops, they are just a standing army that our founders spoke out against. You want a nanny society, go to where there is one, dont try to build one here. Freedom is responsibility, aparently you cant do anything yourself and expect the government to do everything for you. When cops break the law, there is no more excuse than if you did. Its jello spines like you that further the outrage.
And yes, we do have a right to resist a cop who is breaking the law up to the point of deadly force. Apparently to you, a cop can break the law and a citizen who pays his salary cannot? Double standards abound, I hope one day, and Im sure it will happen eventually, not if, but when your rights are violated under the color of law, that you get exactly what you need to wake your sorry self up. I hope its on video as so many these days are.
And how hard was it to say they were answering a call? Are they not accountable to we the people? I think you were born in the wrong time as you seem to cherish the days of 1938 Germany.
Kerri, it disturbs me that you assume I'm playing the "RACE card" when I never mentioned the race of the any of the officers involved.
In fact, the officer that pushed me out of the way was Black.
You also assume the officers were answering a call in the building, when in fact I still do not know what occurred that night.
As citizens it is listed very clearly that we have the right to ask officers for identification and I was prevented from exercising my rights as many others have in this country and around the world.
Thanks for reading and I hope that next time you'll be more careful about your assumptions.
"Ya know what? The police didn't have to stop and tell you anything."
And thats where you are greivously wrong, if you were in a hurry in an emergency, and you slapped a cop on the wrist, that would be assault. But, the other way around is ok? Are you a copper? They are not above the law, and when they act like it and then get a free pass from idiots like you, other people suffer and get angry, especially when they are not held accountable. Im sorry, but you dont belong in a free society. (Kerri) And I dont care who it is, if you break into my place unanounced, you WILL get shot, cop or no cop. Cops have rules to follow just like the rest of us. Your words are reckless and endangering to law abiding citizens who get caught up in reckless behavior by the police.
This is a good article telling it like it is. No race card involved, as it should be. The only ones who pull the race card or perpetuate the racial divide are the ones who hope to benefit from it. There is no racial divide, and when there is one, it is usually the "authorities" or media doing it. Its called divide and conquer, keep the masses fighting eachother and they wont notice the guy behind the curtain destroying your country. I'm white, but I am american first!
its very unfortunate what happened to you,but unfortunately its the state of affairs,if youre black in america,regardless as to who you ask,interms of age,.the story is the same,.be fearful of the criminals be terrified of the police.most other black people would have peeked out,saw the police and quietly went back to bed,.for fear of having to tell a sad or outrageous or in certain circumstances permanently unable to tell a story at all about a simple incident with the local police,.just how it is my dear,.avoid them at all cost so as to not be on here about it again,.and drop the inquiry before they make your spot hot.
That is horrible. I was talking with a friend of mine who had extensive military and police background, and he said that in the military a lot of people are not right in the head. They have a real lust for blood and a lot of problems. Out of the military, there's not much they can do- or want to do- but put on a uniform and carry a gun. As a result, he feels, there is a tremendous presence of unstable paramilitary culture in the police. I really do wonder. It would explain a lot.
I'm glad you're alright.
Grow up! What if they where attending the address becuase a women and child where being beaten by a man!!!! And here you are at the door hindering police stopping them from doing there primary function! Put yourself in a real 'victim's' shoes! You would want them to get there ASAP!! Wouldn't you???
Great article, great bravery on your part. I have a friend who is a lawyer today because, 20 years ago, DC cops stopped him for running a YELLOW light. Not red. They pulled him out of the car, threw him to the ground when he went to get his wallet because they wanted to see his license. His wife objected, and they carted both of them off to jail. He had done nothing wildly illegal; sometimes, one has to "run" a yellow light because one is under it when it changes, the case here. My friend was so annoyed, he gave up a journalism career and went to law school to practice community law.
Journalist rule of thumb which my whole family has been instructed to follow: NEVER let a cop into your house or office without seeing a warrant. Period. Once in, you've given them tacit permission to toss the place if they like, looking for anything that might appeal to them. Even if, like most, you have nothing to hide, who wants a quasilegal home invasion?
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!