when I was 11, my (black) neighbor witnessed my house being broken into. she called the police to report the crime. I came home from school and the robber was still inside. I personally watched as a man I didnt know walked out of my home with our stuff.
the police didnt show up for 3 days.
when they did, they told us there was nothing the could do because we “staged the house”. they claimed we hid our tv’s and valuables to make it look like more was actually stolen. they never asked for a description, never visited the neighbor who saw the break-in, anf as they left, they told us that stolen property is almost never recovered and we should “buy more and get on with [our] lives”.
when I was 23, I was dog-sitting for a (white) friend. her neighbor called the police and said there was a strange black man in her yard.
the police showed up in 5 minutes.
6 units, 12 officers, stormed the back yard as I was running around with the dog. some came through the house and I know for a fact that the front door was locked. they damaged around $5000 worth of property, took her dog to the pound, and me to jail.
my friend had to cut her trip short and drive 4 hours back to get me from jail and explain to police in person that she knew me. because “that could be anybody on the phone”. the neighbor was with her when she came. we had met several times before. she was neither embarrassed nor apologetic.
too many of us have lived this. too many of us didn’t survive.
germansingergirl
origamiaround
amandla
yousharknotpass
ellievsbear
gummygunk
tangentwithtanner
