I Was Stopped by the CPD Good Ol' Boys
/This letter is in response Z.B. DeCossio's letter to the Chattanoogan
concerning race relations. I must say that I firmly agree with
everything mentioned that the author mentioned.
Unfortunately, I am a native of Chattanooga who has had the
misfortune of being stopped by the good ol' boys from the Chattanooga
Police Department. I was pulled over for doing 38 MPH in a 35 MPH zone
on Brainerd Road.
For some reason, the officer found it necessary to call for SIX
additional police cars as backup. They found it necessary to search my
car for guns and drugs. In the meantime I made sure to stay calm and in
control.
Every black man knows that one unusual move near a Chattanooga
police officer will result in you being shocked with a Taser, beaten,
or shot. After receiving a ticket for what should have been a 'routine'
stop, I drove home almost too shaken to speak. That experience helped
seal my decision to not attend UT-Chattanooga. It's a sad day when a
person feels like their life is in danger everytime they drive around
their hometown.
It should be noted that I have a great respect for the police in
general, but not for the members of the Chattanooga Police Department.
I would rather walk alone on Main, East 23rd, or 9th Street with a bag
of money on my shoulder at night than be anywhere near a Chattanooga
police officer. These people are dangerous and I fear that things will
never change, even with the election of Mayor Ron Littlefield.
While I don't believe in just firing a person, I do believe that
Mayor Littlefield is wrong to keep Chief Steve Parks in charge of the
police department. Chief Parks is indifferent and hostile to the
problems caused by his officers and citizens should not trust this man
to make things better in the city.
Fortunately, I moved out of the warzones of Chattanooga to the
city of Nashville. Racial profiling and harassment exists everywhere,
but at least I can leave my home at night and not worry about my life
being in danger from Metro-Nashville police officers.
I urge the young black men of Chattanooga to leave that city at
all costs if possible before they become statistics. Unless they become
police officers themselves, black men are not safe in Chattanooga. And
even then, they still may lose their lives because of police
'misunderstandings' among other things.
Frank Smith
frank.smith@thepowerofx.com
