posted May 7, 2008
It began with a telephone call from my son nearly two weeks ago. A local widower was selling her late husband’s vehicle and my son had just received his driver’s license. Excited about the prospect of owning his first car, my son described it to me - a bright gold Lincoln Towncar with a black “rag top.”
I struggled with the thought that this vehicle could be perceived a little flashy for a young, black man, but the car’s owner (whose race is white) assured me her husband had no problems and that the car was reliable. We purchased the vehicle for my son and closed the deal on the last day of the month in April.
Last Saturday night, I received another telephone call from my son. His tone was very different from two weeks prior — the excitement had been replaced with confusion and, although I lived a thousand miles away in Austin, Tex., I could sense something was wrong. My son began telling me that he had been pulled over by a Tennessee state trooper who was threatening to take his car - his first car. My mind was racing as I asked my son all the clarifying questions: What did you do? Who’s with you? Are you hurt? Where are you? What happened?
My son was driving alone and had just gotten gas when he was pulling out of the parking lot and had a delayed reaction in turning his lights on.
I could hear a man’s belligerent voice in the background, whom I later found out was Sgt. James Van Dyke. I could clearly hear Sgt. Van Dyke speak to my son as if he were nothing worthy of respect. Obviously, the trooper couldn’t tell that my son had never been pulled over, never been arrested, never been a problem, period. In fact, the trooper couldn’t look at my son and know that he worked two jobs (neither in fast food), graduated from a local academically acclaimed rural high school, grew up in a Christian household, and had a couple years college under his belt. What did Van Dyke know about my son that warranted him speaking to him in such an abrasive manner?
I instructed my son not to say anything, not to get provoked, to stay calm and whatever happened, don’t hang up the phone. I listened helplessly as my son was verbally harassed and asked, “Where the drugs and guns?!” by Sgt. Van Dyke. The trooper also shouted that the car was going to be seized. The verbal abuse was so unnecessary and inappropriate that I asked my son to let me speak to Van Dyke. The officer refused to talk to me or my husband. I could hear the trooper in the background, obviously agitated that my son was still on the telephone with me. The trooper ran all the official checks and nada! My son’s record was clear and the car wasn’t stolen. And there weren’t any drugs and guns to be found.
As my son watched a tow truck pull up to take his car away, I could hear him ask the officer why they were taking his car, “This car is contraband! You have an open title that hasn’t been signed!” My son, in all his excitement of getting his new car and license, hadn’t signed the title and taken it to the registration office. Clearly, we had a problem on many fronts.
When Van Dyke wouldn’t speak to me, my husband, a fellow law enforcer with a Texas Sheriff’s office, contacted the Tennessee State Trooper office and was dispatched to Van Dyke’s voice mail in his trooper car where he left a message. To this day, we have not received a courtesy call back from the officer. I heard him tell my son, after coming back from his trooper car (obviously having checked his message), “I don’t need to talk to them! And if you don’t sign this citation, I’m taking you to jail!”
My son told me later after I hung up that Van Dyke taunted him by saying, “I thought boys your age made their own decisions.” My son indicated to him that he did make his own decisions, but that he had parents out of state who were concerned about him.
It is difficult for me to think that this situation was not racially motivated. A seemingly minor non-moving violation is blown out of proportion as a Tennessee state trooper is certain he has caught a drug or gun dealer and was painfully mistaken.
Out of his frustration, the trooper, Van Dyke, spoke harshly to my son and would not take the time to explain to my son nor us what was happening.
I am disappointed in Tennessee and almost glad I no longer live there. For the last few days, we’ve tried to find out what we should do before the June 5 court date. Van Dyke provided a wrong number in Knoxville on the citation and my son was re-routed back to Van Dyke’s voice mail.
My son has experience lessons these last few days - new and old. The new being the experience of driving and the responsibilities that come with it - the old is racial profiling and stereotyping that seems to be the biggest lesson of them all.
Kimberly Pemberton, MPA
Austin, Tex.
Kimberly.Harris@ci.austin.tx.us
* * *
Mrs. Pemberton, not all Tennesseans are like Mr. Van Dyke. However, many are just plain dips. They allow their jobs of authority to overreach their bounds of intelligence, then, when faced with the fact they are wrong, they become even more defensive and stupid.
I am a white male and, because of where I grew up, I, too, suffer the same type of harassment only because of relatives or just because of the name they recognize.
Please don’t think all people from Tennessee are like Mr. Van Dyke. Please, however, insist he seek sensitivity training or just get another profession where he doesn’t have to deal with the public.
I would like to know how this situation turns out. Please write again to let the public know. I think people like Mr. Van Dyke need to be exposed for who they are.
Greg Carroll
* * *
Again Mighty Whitie is trying to hold down the oppressed, those who are less powerful than The Man.
Coming from the perspective of one who was at one time probably the only person to ever be escorted to the city limits of Newport Beach, Ca. and told never to come back because that cop just would not accept that a teenager would be cruising the piers to see what the fishermen were catching at 3 o'clock in the morning, with the ragtop down, it's understandable that someone might be pulled over for not having his headlights on at night. The law requires headlights to be on after dark and, depending upon the time of night and the proximity to a variety of establishments, it may even be an indicator that the driver was impaired in some manner or fashion.
Besides headlights, do we know how this young person was driving? Exempli gratia, was he driving erratically?
Did he have the ragtop down on a cold night? Was the radio or stereo blaring in violation of noise ordinances?
Did he have a tag on the vehicle? That's a legitimate question since he had an open title on the vehicle after "owning" it for two weeks. Was the tag expired? Another. Whose tag was he driving the vehicle on if he hadn't paid his taxes and had it titled in his name? Why, pray tell, was he driving around with an open title when he was so proud of his car in the first place? One would think he would have gone down and gotten the vehicle titled in his name within 10 days, as the law requires. Did he have a dated bill of sale? Doubtful.
Was he supposed to return the tag to the widow he bought the vehicle from, did not do as asked, and she called the police to report same? That would also be reasonable, since she would still be liable for any accidents the vehicle was involved in, because it was still titled in her name.
Did he have insurance on this unregistered vehicle? The law requires that we have insurance on a vehicle if we're driving it on the public highways. Ms. Pemberton states nothing about that little issue. Last I checked, it's a bit difficult to obtain insurance in order to drive a vehicle we don't own.
There are a number of reasons Ms. Pemberton's precious progeny might have been stopped. However, cops are people too. When they get attitude, they give attitude. It's obvious that when a young "gentleman" calls his mommy when he gets stopped by the police he's used to getting his way, even when he may be wrong in the first place. Why should a cop, any person in a position of authority, feel it necessary to return the call of an adult's mommy or anyone else? I had a technician working for me once whose wife was constantly complaining to me about his pay and other work issues. He didn't last long. Besides, the laws concerning privacy do not allow anyone to discuss personal issues about another. This is especially true when attempting to do so over the telephone. Try to report suspected welfare fraud.
Insensitive? When one claims her offspring to be an adult, that adult needs to address his own problems and stand on his own two feet. When he does something wrong he needs to accept responsibility for his actions, or lack thereof, and suffer the consequences if there be any. It's neither racial profiling nor stereotyping to stop a person who has either broken the law or given law enforcement officials justifiable reason to stop him and ask questions.
It's easy to claim racial profiling, but perhaps that's part of the problem, it is so easy, and so many sets of lederhosen get bunched up without checking the facts of the situation when the claim is made. Claims of insensitivity are easy too, and made without having been there and done that. Perhaps Mighty Whitie should stop feeling guilty about things that happened before he was even born, and most certainly before he had any power to do anything to correct the situation.
One of my employees once told me that I should be more sensitive to the wants of others and could use some training in that area, but my Mom said I didn't have to. I'll listen to my Mom. She also told me to stand on my own two feet, accept responsibility for what I had done, pay my own bills without expecting others to pay them for me, enjoy the fruits of my own labor and give some back for how greatly I've been blessed, and to send her a jar of honey once in a while. Since it's been a while for the latter of these, I better get to packing a box, after I hide my wallet so Bo And Richard can't dig any deeper into it while my back is turned.
I probably could have called my Mom from Newport Beach that night, but she would have told them to take me to juvie, again.
Royce E. Burrage, Jr.
Royce@OfficiallyChapped.org
* * *
Unfortunately Mrs. Pemberton, I had a similar, but not as critical, situation happen to me while in Chattanooga, which is also my hometown. My mother was ill and I spent a lot of time caring for her prior to her passing Nov. 7.
I had a fender-bender in her neighborhood that was clearly the other driver’s fault. When Metro arrived, he spoke to the driver that caused the accident first (of course he was a Caucasian male, driving a Mercedes). This driver was repeatedly telling to the officer that I had hit him, and whenever I or my sister tried to explain what happened, we were told to "shut-up." Totally disrespectful.
Long story short, I was cited. When I came back to Chattanooga for the hearing, the court found the other driver at fault. He was fined and the charges against me were dismissed. The court system was fair, praise God.
So why was the officer so rude? And why did he feel he needed to cite me? Who knows. That day reminded me of 25 years ago when I lived in Chattanooga. I said to myself, "nothing has changed."
I do hope this Officer Van Dyke and the rest that are like him, white or black, are exposed for what they are. Officers such as he put blemishes on "Metro's Finest."
Linda Baldwin
* * *
Mrs. Pemberton, your son did the right thing by making that phone call to you and your husband that night. From personal experience, I can attest to the fact how some, and I emphasize the word "some" police, because I've come to realize not all are arrogant airheads with massive ego problems, will do and say anything to cover butt when caught with their pants down around their ankles.
Some have been known to lie like a rug. And when that isn't enough, they have a long list of "mommies" who will cover for them, lie for them and swear on a stack of Bibles for them. As one officer once told me, "They're going to believe our officers over you."
Some famous phrases they seem to even practice over and over. I think they're in the training manuals or something. Here are a couple, "He/she didn't comply." "I feared for my life." The other phrases some have been known to use can't be mentioned here, for they'd make even a cussing sailor swoon, faint and pass out.
Brenda Manghane~Washington
* * *
I am a mother that can relate to the Chattanooga Metro. They have stopped my son who is 22-years-old several times.
He has a job but that is not the problem. He is an African American male driving a car with braids. He is not given a ticket. They just stop him "because he looked like someone they are searching for."
Racial profiling is Chattanooga is real.
Sue Tremble
* * *
What's wrong with a young man or woman owing a large luxury car? I have a problem with baggy pants on anybody black or white. I have a problem with disrespectful music loud and irritating coming from black or white. Should race really matter?
We live in the Bible belt and profess to be Christian and all came of Adam and Eve, so what's the problem.
I have a 16-year-old son who is smart, articulate, respectful and yes, black. He does not wear large amounts of jewelry to make him feel he has worth, and this is his decision, nor does he "sag" his pants, he says it stupid and uncomfortable.
The point is just because some young ones may choose a "foolish" road and others may not, they are still our children and they need guidance and understanding living in a world that would choose a president by the color of skin rather than by experience.
Most of us profess we believe and love Jesus, so what's the problem. Wake up American and take a look in the mirror and whose reflection do you see, yours or the forgiving and loving reflection of the one who died for all of us. Hope you sleep well tonight.
Christal W. Westfield
* * *
I am so thankful to Kimberly Pemberton for sharing the experience of her son and her family regarding police brutality. If more people would do as she did, maybe this madness of abuse from law enforcement personnel would cease.
I believe there is an epidemic of abuse, sometimes leading to death of unarmed citizens. I do believe that there are law enforcement officers who are doing their job, even in the face of personal danger and low wages. That fact does not erase the fact that there are people employed in these positions who are merely the worst kind of bully. They use their positions to torment and kill.
The described actions of the trooper warrant his dismissal. Unfortunately, he will probably not be held accountable, if the outcome of this incident follows the trend. There are people who feel that law enforcement officers can do no wrong. These are some of the same people who send hate messages to those who are brave enough to speak out against this wrongdoing.
As recently as this morning, there is another news item describing a police brutality incident in Pennsylvania. These incidents happen all the time, but most are not caught on tape.
I thank God that Mrs. Pemberton's son escaped with his life. That phone call to his parents may have saved his life. After my unarmed son was killed by police, I have talked with other family members who have experienced a similar tragedy. In three of those cases, their unarmed sons were killed in a routine traffic stop. In those instances, they were shot by one police officer. In all of those cases, no one has been jailed for those homicides. Yes, some people are above the law.
When then situations are reported and documented as true, I propose that, at the very least, these people should be fired. We don't need more law enforcement officers, we need the right people in those positions. Fire those bullies and transfer the money saved to the officers who are doing their jobs of serving and protecting citizens. They are the officers who should be making more money. Why would the public want to pay someone more money to abuse and kill our children?
Dr. Loretta P. Prater
Mother of homicide victim Leslie V. Prater
* * *
Mrs. Pemberton, I was saddening to read about the traffic stop your son experienced. Please for a moment try to imagine what I am imagining right now, that same state trooper allowing a white person to drive on by with their lights out. I am sure the big Tennessee hick would give him the wink and get back to telling racist jokes on his radio. Race becomes more than identity, ethnicity, heritage or history for some. Time has made me believe that anything less than blatant overcompensation now seems to lead to the cries of bias.
So now I must ask, is there a chance that your son ran into a trooper that had a bad day dealing with criminals? Perhaps he saw a car driving with no lights and stopped your son because we pay him to? If he is the jerk that you portrayed him to be, maybe he provides his inappropriate attitude to all people regardless of race or creed. Does the answer always have to be as sinister as racism?
The worst part of all this is that I know there was a time in my life that a person was a person. Now, it seems everyone needs to be a white person, or black person rather than a simple person. Maybe true equality can come when you stop reminding everyone that you perceive yourself as different enough from them to make a point of it. I have experienced racism myself and did not like it, nor did I approve when I observed it. However, as I get older it seems like society is overcompensating to no avail. It all becomes very blurry for me as we spiral through a great abyss filled with affirmative action and continual cries of racism and bias.
The big flat ending; never give anyone an excuse to mess with you. Turn the lights on, and process the tag and title within the allowed time frame the state gives. The world is a tough place to survive when you never accept fault.
Kevin Steed
Chattanooga
rocketman1846@aol.com
* * *
Several years back, I was stopped by this same officer. I was (and still am) a middle-aged white guy, who was driving a (then) new PT Cruiser, with horrors, a vanity plate.
The guy was extremely arrogant, but was glad to let me know that if I mailed in my $65 fine, that the ticket would not show up on my record.
After the stop, we pulled back into traffic, me being sure to stay at, or below the speed limit, and him behind, while traffic blew by us on both sides. After about a mile, he passed me laughing his backside off, and blew on with the rest of the traffic.
While it may be true that guys like him take extra glee in busting a kid like your son, he also takes his blessings where he can find them. Whatever, I truly wish you and your son well.
Don Hill
Walden, Tn.
| Dining Out | Business | Movies | Focus | About Us |
| Church | Living Well | Memories | Outdoors | Real Estate | Student Scene | Travel |