A Cop Stops A Black Man For Walking With His Hands In His Pockets. Reasonableness Happens Next.

A police officer had reports of a suspicious black man walking down the street with his hands in his pockets. Seriously.

What happened next was probably the best possible outcome in the situation. The officer pulled out his phone and recorded too. And then they had a civil discussion about the ridiculousness of the situation. Had they not both filmed, it could have turned out differently. But recent research found, in Rialto, California, for example, that using body cams decreased citizen complaints by 88% and use of force dropped 59%. If every interaction were as calm as this one, imagine the amount of trust that could be earned on both sides?

All he did was walk down the street while black. In the cold. With his hands in his pockets. Because of the aforementioned cold. The police were called because of that. Wrap your brain around that. It's ridiculous. B Mckean, the guy behind the camera, was rightfully frustrated with the whole situation.

Respect is a two-way street. This officer actually listened and took the call with the amount of skepticism it deserved.

Thankfully, he handled the situation professionally and courteously (even with the awkward high-five.) We need more officers behaving this way. This was a tiny step in the right direction, but it really should be the status quo. We need more trust and respect from those in power for those who aren't if we ever hope to have faith that the police are here to protect us.

So more cameras for everyone, more transparency for everyone, and better police and citizen relations for all.

"Why are your hands in your pockets?" by B Mckean.

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