Just in case you were wondering if relations between police and black communities have changed any since the national eruption of protests against police violence, it hasn’t.
In the latest example of police brutality and racial profiling, a Michigan man identified as Brandon McKean was stopped by a police officer during the holiday for walking with his hands in his pockets.
Did we mention there was snow on the ground and Pontiac, Michigan only reached a high of 33 degrees on Thanksgiving Day?
The officer apparently stopped the man after someone called 911 to report the “suspicious” incident.
“You were walking by, you were making people nervous,” he said after the detained man asked him what was so suspicious about having his hands in his pocket in freezing temperatures.
McKean, who clearly did not give the cop “reasonable suspicion” that a crime had been committed, challenged his illegal detainment.
“Wow, walking by, having your hands in your pockets makes people nervous to call the police, when it’s snowing outside?” the man asks. “There’s 10,000 people in Pontiac right now with their hands in their pockets, so how many—”
“You’re right,” the cop replies. “But we do have a lot of robberies, so just checking on you. You’re fine, you’re good.”
In the end, the man was allowed to leave, but not before the cop requested a high-five.
“High five!” the cop says while McKean expresses his outrage.
Way to smooth over that situation, huh?
SOURCE: Gawker, Pontiac Tribune | VIDEO SOURCE: YouTube
