1/ There's story going viral about EAs executive's nearly deadly encounter with Arizona police. You should read it.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...=a.43585593076.53031.641348076&type=3&theater …
(TL;DR: Guy drove a rental car, got stopped by a cop. Rental car had lost its license plate earlier. The rental reported this to the DMV. Cop assumed either by mistake (or because the DMV notice was not correct) that the car the guy drove was stolen. Cop was apparently on the edge since he assumed the guy might be armed (since if you drive a stole car, you are probably armed too). )
2/ I want to tell you my own story about a terrifying encounter with Boston police, the night I took this picture.
"So, Officer Miller is it? Would you please tell me in your own words what you said to your superior?"
3/ Frank and I took Rocket for a walk along the Charles, one of most beautiful parts of Boston. Because it was late I took a flashlight.
"Well around 10pm central called me, that there was... what did they say... ah yes 'a skeletal figure was waving around a massive flashlight and taking photos of a screaming, mid-fourties Asian male' at the Charles near (REDACTED). I was still plain-clothed but central said that the caller was highly disturbed and I was the only office close enough for a fast response, so..."
4/ Suddenly, car drives off Sorrow Drive, starts driving through the park. Literally, just driving down pedestrian path. Blatantly illegal.
"When you arrived you directly drove onto the pedestrian path, is that correct...?"
"Well yes, but you would have too, Sir. Excuse my words here but you should have seen that th..."
"Please mind you words Officer Miller."
"Sorry, Sir! Well this 'woman', I guess. But even from 200 feet away she looked 'off' to me. I guessed they were searching something on the shore, but at that distance I couldn't even tell if she was threatening the Asian male or not."
5/ Now please understand. I still get death threats all the time. I'd had multiple rape threats sent that week. This scared hell out of me.
"So, you were concerned about your safety?"
"At that time? Yes. I believed that she could been a meth addict or something similar, that droopy face, the snarling... you know how violent and irrational those meth-heads can get. It seemed safer to stay inside the car, just in case she had a gun."
6/ So, I turn my flashlight at car. Trying to figure out what is going on. We start walking away faster. And then, I decide to call police.
"Was that the time when she... where is it... 'blinded' you?"
"Yes, she pointed that massive flashlight directly at me, could barely see anything. All I could make out was her and the Asian guy scrambling away and fumbling with something. I couldn't tell if it was a gun or a phone, so I decided to stay inside the car until they were out of range of any handgun. I wanted to have visual confirmation first."
7/ I turned my flashlight at the car again, getting the license plate numbers - reading them back to Frank. Then we start walking away fast.
"Then they suddenly started running and she was shouting something over and over again, it seemed like she wanted to warn someone."
"Shouting what?"
"Not sure, something about a '-Gate' or something. It was more an ear-piercing, animal-like screech than anything human."
"Wording..."
"Sorry, Sir."
8/ That is when a huge, hulking white guy gets out of the car starts SCREAMING at us. "HEY. HEY. STOP!" He had hand at his side on a gun.
"As they turned around and ran I left the car and stated "POLICE STOP!".
"Not: 'Hey, hey, Stop.' ?"
"No, Sir. I even raised my badge to identify myself as a officer."
9/ He identifies himself as police and starts SCREAMING at Frank and I for shining a flashlight at his car. His car was unmarked.
"I then asked both of them not to point that flashlight at me, because I still couldn't see anything. They didn't react. I think that ghoul..."
"Officer Miller please!"
"Sorry Sir! I mean: I think that rather large, manly woman with the, uhm... out of the ordinary facial features said something like: 'They found me.' I don't think she realized at that point that I was a cop."
10/ Look, I'm just taking a walk though Boston's most beautiful park with my husband and dog. And a civilian car starts driving through.
"And -at that point- there were no indications that this was only a married couple walking their dog?"
"Wait? That thing really is his wife?"
"...good point actually... moving on."
11/ He was so aggressive, I thought I would be shot if I moved aggressively. If Rocket had barked, I don't know what would have happened.
"Speaking of her dog: Ms. Wu also stated that it seemed as if you could shoot her dog at any moment, since you appeared to feel threatened by it."
"That emaciated thing? That thing couldn't even stand on it's paws without shivering. However, she did grab from her husbands arms and held it like a shield in front of her."
12/ This police officer was beyond on edge. His overreaction was beyond overblown to having flashlight shined at car to get license plate.
"What happened then?"
"Well, nothing really. I repeated five to eight times that 'she' should lower or turn off the flashlight, but 'she' didn't react. Instead 'she'... "
"You can pour as much sarcasm into you words as you like, Officer Miller."
"... instead 'she' was going on about that '-Gate' thing. Until finally that Asian guy flipped the switch of the flashlight."
"And then?"
"Well the usual: I saw they weren't carrying weapons, so I told them we got a call. That they shouldn't point a floodlight at a police officer, since then the officer can't tell if you are also holding a gun. Finally I told them that there were a few 211's reported in the area and that they should leave."
13/ I do believe if I weren't white, I would have been put in jail over a pretext. My hands were shaking for hours afterwards.
"Ms. Wu also states, that she thinks she would have been shot if she hadn't been white."
"What?"
"I have no idea either..."
14/ I respect police. I understand every encounter in potentially deadly for them. I have empathy for the stress that job entails.
"Was there anything else before you left?"
"Yes, Sir. The 'woman' started screaming at me as soon as I turned around to get to the car. Called me a a 'black killer', 'a sand nigger friend', asked if I knew who she was, that she would 'tweet about this' ... she even called me a 'misogynist' "
"...heh..."
"...I know, right?"
15/ But I also know a bully when I see one.. Reaction was out of proportion to issue at hand, shining a flashlight at unmarked car.
"...and you didn't react to these insults?"
"Nah, wanted to finally clock out. Besides, they both looked like their life is already shitty enough."