It's very easy to say until you've been put in a position where a routine situation almost leads to you getting shot.

In the Fall of 2009, I was on my way from Tulsa to Oklahoma State in Stillwater with my girlfriend in the passenger seat and one of our friends in the back. We are all minorities. I got pulled over in Mannford for doing about 70 or 75 in a 55 mph thanks to a fucking speed trap that these backwater, podunk towns are known for where the speed limit can drastically drop in the blink of an eye.

So I pull over, I'm reaching for my wallet to get my license, I already have my window rolled down, and the next thing you know, two officers run up to each front window and point pistols right between our eyes and shout out us to put our guns down. I remember imagining my head getting blown off and imagining those two getting riddled with bullets for no fucking reason, and I just froze in place for what seemed like an eternity. My wallet was in my right side pocket and I was using my left hand to reach for it, and when I stopped being shocked enough to actually listen to the officer shouting at me, I told him what I was doing and that we don't have weapons, and that I was scared to move my hand for fear that he would shoot me.

He told me to slowly put my hands on the steering wheel, so I did. The other officer made her put her hands on top of the dashboard and our friend's hands in the air. They made us get out of the car one at a time, they patted us down, and then made us get behind it on our knees with our hands behind our heads, and remain there while they searched the car for guns and drugs, all the while we're staring down the barrell of guns pointed at us the whole time. They radioed for another car to come with a dog to smell for guns and drugs, all the while telling me that if I am hiding any, I better tell them now or suffer the consequences later. I keep telling them that they can search a thousand times and find nothing, and asking them to please stop pointing their guns at my friends. I can't remember why they said no, because all that mattered to me at the moment was that they wouldn't, and all that was running through my head was the image of them and myself getting shot  for no fucking reason.

I'm going to spare all of the details because I've already made a giant wall of text, but we were on the side of that road for about an hour and a half, They eventually let us get off of our knees, and eventually stopped pointing guns at us. And they eventually told us their reasoning: they claimed that when I was pulling over to the side of the road, my friend in the back was scurrying to put on his seatbelt, and the silver buckle of the seatbelt looked like it could have been a gun from their point-of-view, so they couldn't take any chances. I could have been Trayvon Martin or Terrance Crutcher, or that guy in Baltimore over a fucking seatbelt. If I would have jumped when my hand was in my pocket, I and two other innocent college kids would have died over a fucking seatbelt. Want to know the irony in that? If you're 12 or older in the Oklahoma, you don't need your seatbelt on in the backseat; it's optional.

So if you've managed to read this far, I hope you can understand why I personally get a bit uneasy around an armed police officer, especially when I get pulled over (and if you want to hear more bullshit reasons for me getting pulled over, let me know. I have more). And I hope you can understand why an officer making such racist jokes isn't funny to someone like myself, no matter the context. I know it's personal and highly anecdotal, but you're delusional if you think this type of thing doesn't happen to people who look like me every single day.

You literally - just said it.   "you're delusional if you think this type of thing doesn't happen to people who look like me every single day." Nobody said it doesn't happen to people (like you and like others), what you felt the need specified was that it occurs specifically to people who look like YOU. (a minority).

No, I did not say that it happened to me because I'm not white. I also did not imply that it would not have happened if I was white. For someone who wants so badly to believe from the bottom of his heart that this whole matter with the Georgian officer is not a racial issue, you sure are trying to turn everything into a racial issue. I was thinking about this earlier.

One one hand, you say that the cop's joke wasn't racist, even though he specifically cited race. On the other, you're saying that I'm making it all about race, even though I never said that what happened to me happened because of my race... Do you not see the hypocrisy here? This is why I asked you to leave me alone. People like you are dangerous for me.

Who isn't afraid of the police? Who doesn't have a general awareness of nervousness around the police?  

A lot of people.

I seriously haven't met a single person (regardless of race) that doesn't get slightly on edge when a policeman stops them regardless of the reason.

Their reason may be different than other people's reason. That's where your ignorance sets in. Fearing a ticket is a lot different than fearing harm.

You're elevating your fear because "I'm a minority" and it's complete bogus crap.   Your annecdotal story happened to me,  white as snow. 

You read why my fear is elevated. Personal experience and memories of the fear and helplessness I felt during the situation. And like I said, there ARE other instances. I just picked one.

Should I write ad nauseum about how my "fear" is justified of the police?

Sure, I'll read it.

It's an obvious joke to the hysterical culture that has developed in present day (and an obvious sarcastic response to a hysterical, borderline insane woman).  Like others in the thread,  I think he should be disciplined for simply not upholding a professional standard.  As for the comment being racist?   For that that to be true, you would have to believe he WASN'T being sarcastic,  I'm not quite sure we know that factually.

Like I said in another post in this thread, if the person working the drivethrough at McDonald's says this, that person likely gets fired. If a celebrity makes this comment in public or even in private but it gets brought to light, that celebrity is all over the news and his or her Q-rating plummets, joking or not. You don't see that celeb in any sponsorships, movies etc. again. If a politician jokes like that, he or she commits career suicide. But yet, you think the police, the people who we're trusting our lives and safety to, should be held to a higher standard than a lower one. I don't have to make you a strawman.

As for your strawman arguments?  Some of the first slavers were in the Middle east and Africa.  While we're making unfounded arguments, you're one of those maroons who believes that the evil white man was the sole proprietor of the slave trade.  

You think the modern democratic and republican parties are completely analogous to the parties from many, many years ago, even though the voting demographics for each has changed drastically. Forgive me if I don't think you're the person to be giving me history lessons.

They didn't violate my rights -- I moved around in the vehicle,  I made them feel uneasy or gave them concern.  They don't know me, they don't know who I am.  They have a family they want to get home to as well,  they don't go out "looking to shoot" people, contrary to your little ridiculous narrative.

Good for you. They violated mine. I also never said the go out "looking to shoot" people, so now you're making shit up. What was that you said earlier about strawmanning? Then again, you've been doing that the entire time.

And I'm pretty sure we know who you voted for (Anti - Police, Muh victim status, views everything through a racial prism).  Works both ways champ.  And if you read the comment I responded to -- (Calling people of a political party bigots with absolutely no evidence)  Me citing that the Democratic party has been all of those things (Founder of KKK, Jim Crow, Ex Klansmen Sentator until 2010) ,  I'm sorry that cold hard FACTS bother you.   Your sensitivity really says it all.

 Go live within your delusional racially tainted vision for the rest of your life.  Meanwhile,  ponder why other people of all ethnicities continue to succeed by simply not being a victim and taking charge of their life.

What if I told you... get this... I continue to succeed and I've taken charge of my life despite some circumstances in my early years that held me back!? I live comfortably above the povery line, I am able to provide for myself and my family, and I'm doing pretty well in my career, all without having my race be a factor one way or another. Are you proud of me? :)

Have fun making America great again!

They have weapons (gun, baton, pepperspray, etc.), they are in a position of immense authority (they can tell people to pull over, they can take away their freedom by arresting them, etc.), and there have been instances of them abusing their power.