Getting Uppity With The Police

I was recently pulled over by the police in Encino for A) having a tail light that was out B) my driver's license didn't have my correct address.

They issued me a citation, but not before fucking with me a little bit.
The first cop was polite and upfront about why they stopped me. It took about 10 minutes for them to check my plates, any warrants and anything else. It seemed they dug deep. Being on the side of the road with cops is demoralizing and embarrassing. These two love this shit. To be in power is a high that people who have none in real life will never get.

So, the other cop had his thumbs clipped to his belt, on the ready. Boy, he stared at me like he wanted me to do something. My first reaction was "don't you guy have anything better to do, like solve the person who killed O.J.'s wife?

In my hometown of Cincinnati, OH, a man was killed by a cop over a routine traffic stop investigating a front license plate infraction. In the video, the cop pulls the man over, by the name of Samuel DuBose. He is asked for license. Which he can't produce. At this point, I think the cop should've issued a citation and let it go. Even upon checking the information, you'd see over  decade of traffic violations. The man was on his way to pick up his son to go see a movie. I think, this may've been a factor as to not having his car impounded. The officer asked DuBose to step out of the car, then from what I saw, DuBose refused, THEN put his hand on the door, started up the vehicle and attempted to flee. Which is when the cop pulled out a gun and shot DuBose right in the head. He died.

Now, back in the wild west, this would've been met with some lookie-loos and back to the saloon. Nowadays, police body cam, internet and all sorts of other electronic devices make it so we're all legal eagles.

I don't know if any of this is legal. And I took criminal justice. Only that there is a world where white cops and black people don't mix. According to the internet stories that they present. What saddens me about the whole ordeal, is that it happened in my hometown. Where intolerance has been an issue for so long. I have my own prejudices based on childhood trauma, but that's something I cannot translate to people today. I often try to find the humor in it now. But it was truly senseless. On both the participants. I know I've been shouted by both sides about how I could defend a cop over this or how can I defend DuBose over this and so forth. This incident is just that...a moment captured FOREVER. Lives are changed permanently. The gravity of that statement is what's on the table NOW. I can only say that this doesn't seem to translate to a cop who is quick to pull a weapon. Nor on the criminal quick to be defensive. This is why it draws so much attention because, for the most part, the grey area is no longer preferred. The police officer has been charged with murder. The prosecutor took even a more pre-emptive "please don't burn our city down" stance that the cop was not in the right to do something (by the book) was legal (front license is "chicken crap"). Please relate this to the police officers of Encino. No one wins here. Whatever opinion you have, there is one dead man, and another who may as well be.