To the untrained eye and ear, the black woman captured in the video sounded full of joy. But to black people everywhere, we know what loud, uncontrollable relief looks and sounds like. That relief that Maya Angelou once talked about that black women have perfected. That relief that forces you to laugh because you havent had the space to cry just yet. That relief every time we interact with police officers because we never know if we will leave that interaction alive.
In an attempt to better relations with community and police officers, the video does the exact opposite. It further highlights the fear that black people carry with them the moment they see flashing lights in their rearview mirror. Not only is this supposed lighthearted humor a complete waste of resources and tax dollars, but its also dangerous to stop a driver for no apparent reason other than to show how good a cop one is. Its tone-deaf and out of touch with our reality and experiences as black people.
Perhaps police officers often forget the names of Sandra Bland, Freddie Gray, Mike Brown and, most recently, Philando Castilewho was killed after being in the same car with his girlfriend (ironically the same configuration as the one shown in the video)but black people never will. We know what getting pulled over by the police can mean for us. We know what accidentally saying Maam to an egomaniacal, hypermasculine guy cop can mean for us. We know what can happen in a matter of seconds. And we recognize that all of this can occur anytime we step into a vehicle.
