Did you know that there are all sorts of hidden officials who can pull you over? I didn’t. I do now.
I recently submitted the following letter to various publications.
Imagine. Last week, while driving down the highway with my three of my children, I noticed an aggressive white SUV. Distracted, I swerved. I was clueless. Then, the red lights lit up. I was confused. Trying to protect my children, I pulled over. Then, someone with a gun jumped out. I didn’t know what to do. When the man got to the door, he was angry and incompetent. I feared that he would hurt my children. As time progressed, I realized that he was a member of the Denton Fire Department. Alone…anything could’ve happened. Throughout the encounter (even after another Firefighter arrived), I was asked numerous inappropriate questions that had nothing to do with the stop. Everything was sprinkled with police aggression/brutality…except for the fact that…these guys were not the police. When they finally left, I cried…knowing we’d just survived. There were no protections in place for us. No recording. No identification. No boundaries. Nothing. The Denton Fire Department has assured me that the actions of these Firefighters will be addressed. Still, questions remain. Who can make traffic stops? How do we know who is who? The citizens of Denton deserve better than having to guess. City leadership?
The nature of evil is that it traumatizes the soul. There are few things more evil/brutal than having to guess who is policing you. The person with a gun? Black uniform? Red lights? Blue lights? Green lights? The person without a gun? Blue uniform? The questions are endless. Here in Denton, I experienced a traffic stop that was traumatizing. While I am going to take care of it, I hope no one has to go through what I went through. Those who daily police our communities must stop hiding behind confusing car markings and light. Police brutality thrives when there is a lack of accountability. Now, I realize that Firefighter brutality does too.
Amen.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In