If you've never feared the police - if you don't get a dull ache in the pit of your stomach when you see red and blue flashing lights, even when you know you're not doing anything wrong - consider yourself lucky.
I have been pulled over, and I have actually worried, 'Is something going to happen to me even though I am a law abiding citizen?' That is a real fear and is something that we have to come to grips with.
If I see a police officer behind me, and I can pull over into, like, a shopping center or something, I do it.
I fear cops and have never felt the protection of them.
I know what it's like to be afraid of the police. When you see a police officer, you don't immediately feel safe. You wonder what you've done wrong and what could happen to you.
I'm afraid because some police are way out of control. My true feeling with police is this: If they do their job, there's no problem.
Like many black men growing up in London, I have been stopped and searched by several policemen. I was 12 years old when I was first groped and frisked by police for walking down the road. It terrified me so much I wet myself.
You know, I'm a 6-foot Black man, and I'm built the way I'm built. Driving is a very stress-inducing thing for me to do.
I've always had a natural fear of the police, or abuse of their power.
I'm not against the police; I'm just afraid of them.
I want to live in a city where the police don't shoot you.
I know there are some good American police. But I grew up in a country where we were afraid of the police.
I think the majority of police are really good people and really good at their jobs, but that doesn't change the fact that with any interaction I have with them, I'm viewed as a potential threat.
I hear a creak in my house, and I'm calling the police immediately, but at the same time, I do know that when I call them, I'm going to make sure to say, 'I'm a black guy, and this is my house.'
If I see a cop, it's not like, 'Oh, there's a cop who's gonna keep me safe.' It's more, 'There's a cop who might be having a bad day, so don't make eye contact.'
Communities of color have also had to watch video after video of unarmed black men and women being handled without regard for their lives or well-being. As a black man, I see these images, and I see myself; I wonder whether this will happen to me or one of my loved ones.
