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