Personal, Politics & Culture

Whaaaa..? I’m a White Guy Profiled by a Black Cop!

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So picture it. Your humble correspondent is hurtling down a divided rural highway, just north of Grand Rapids, Mich. He drives a 1990 Ford Ranger XLT with an uneven black-and-green paint job, because he does not care for a large car payment after the fiasco of his 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee being totaled but the insurance company saying, “oops, better luck next time.”

So. Where was I? Oh, yes.

I’m traveling mid-pack in a herd of five vehicles, proceeding southbound on M-37, with the whole pod running about 7 m.p.h. over the posted limit. On the far side of an unusually wide, grassy median, pointed northbound along the shoulder of the outside lane, was a Michigan State Police patrol car; it was parked with the windows up and the engine running.

Soon, I see the trooper cross the median and accelerate toward us. He singles me out and pulls me over.

The officer, a middle-aged African American, politely requests my license, registration and proof of insurance. My insurance card was locally printed (I am a Progressive customer) and it took him a moment to figure it out — itself unusual, since every time I was pulled over in a newer-model vehicle, the insurance part usually consisted of the question, “Do you have valid insurance? Yes, OK then good enough.”

The trooper took all of my documentation and headed back to his car, where he sat for all of 45 seconds before returning to me, handing me my paperwork back, and telling me he pulled me over becuase my muffler was loud and I should get it looked at.

Now, permit me to share a few points of trivia:

  1. My muffler is, indeed, loud; the urban gang-banging previous owner of the truck installed a louder one than normal, but it was new and was well within legal decibel limits.
  2. I was traveling in a pack of vehicles; how did the trooper know which one was the loud one?
  3. The pack passed him 100 feet away, while he had his windows up. What exactly did he hear?

So, my thought — given how short of a time he spent with my paperwork — is that he saw an older truck with a crappy paint job and figured I was a slam-dunk ticket or arrest for something, even something as trivial as a paperwork discrepancy.

And when I wasn’t actually found guilty of anything, he sent me away faster than Rick Sanchez fleeing the local rabbi.

As I pulled away, I was struck by the irony of it. I was a law-abiding citizen, pulled over because I was profiled. And I was profiled by a black cop.

Who says race relations haven’t progressed much since the ’60s?

Personal, Politics & Culture

Whaaaa..? I'm a White Guy Profiled by a Black Cop!

No Comments

So picture it. Your humble correspondent is hurtling down a divided rural highway, just north of Grand Rapids, Mich. He drives a 1990 Ford Ranger XLT with an uneven black-and-green paint job, because he does not care for a large car payment after the fiasco of his 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee being totaled but the insurance company saying, “oops, better luck next time.”
So. Where was I? Oh, yes.
I’m traveling mid-pack in a herd of five vehicles, proceeding southbound on M-37, with the whole pod running about 7 m.p.h. over the posted limit. On the far side of an unusually wide, grassy median, pointed northbound along the shoulder of the outside lane, was a Michigan State Police patrol car; it was parked with the windows up and the engine running.
Soon, I see the trooper cross the median and accelerate toward us. He singles me out and pulls me over.
The officer, a middle-aged African American, politely requests my license, registration and proof of insurance. My insurance card was locally printed (I am a Progressive customer) and it took him a moment to figure it out — itself unusual, since every time I was pulled over in a newer-model vehicle, the insurance part usually consisted of the question, “Do you have valid insurance? Yes, OK then good enough.”
The trooper took all of my documentation and headed back to his car, where he sat for all of 45 seconds before returning to me, handing me my paperwork back, and telling me he pulled me over becuase my muffler was loud and I should get it looked at.
Now, permit me to share a few points of trivia:

  1. My muffler is, indeed, loud; the urban gang-banging previous owner of the truck installed a louder one than normal, but it was new and was well within legal decibel limits.
  2. I was traveling in a pack of vehicles; how did the trooper know which one was the loud one?
  3. The pack passed him 100 feet away, while he had his windows up. What exactly did he hear?

So, my thought — given how short of a time he spent with my paperwork — is that he saw an older truck with a crappy paint job and figured I was a slam-dunk ticket or arrest for something, even something as trivial as a paperwork discrepancy.
And when I wasn’t actually found guilty of anything, he sent me away faster than Rick Sanchez fleeing the local rabbi.
As I pulled away, I was struck by the irony of it. I was a law-abiding citizen, pulled over because I was profiled. And I was profiled by a black cop.
Who says race relations haven’t progressed much since the ’60s?

Personal

Obligatory (Belated) Birthday Reflection

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Wednesday last, I turned the big three-four. As has been my habit since launching A Mild Voice of Reason in February 2006, I post an annual reflection on the year gone and the year ahead. Herewith some points of interest.

  • The last year has been much like the Catholic observance of Advent: A time of watching, waiting and purification; a period of excitement for something not-yet-come. Like most Catholics, I’ve chosen to pass the hours idly than to focus on the pending joy, but still — the last year has seen a deepening of understanding about friends, family, life, the universe and everything. Remaining optimistic when the world nudges you toward cynicism requires a high degree of focus and good cheer.
  • You never really appreciate how few people have your back, until your expectations diverge in the midst of conflict. At this point in my life, the number of people I trust implicitly — that is, the folks I think I could call at 3 a.m. with an emergency and expect a swift and non-grudging response — has declined to an all-time low. But that’s OK. I don’t mind fair-weather friends (or family) as long as I know I have a circle I can rely on no matter how violent the storm may grow.
  • Dreams, once dreamt, become the soul’s chief prosecutor.
  • I’m less optimistic about human nature than I used to be, but I think I’ve done a decent job of avoiding being bitter about it. Part of it may be that my patience has increased. Spending more time walking around instead of driving made me witness people in a different way, so my typical “elitist, materialist” demeanor has faced a major gut-check. This is for the good.

All for this year. I will continue to watch, and wait.

Personal

A Not-So-Bad August

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August hasn’t been half-bad:

  • This weekend was fairly pleasant. Today was spent in the office, preparing catch-up reports and working down my personal queue of Service Desk tickets, and now I sit at Biggby drinking mocha and writing. Yesterday, I got a haircut, got a massage from the Chinese people, bought some specialty craft beer, and hung out with Rick and Sondra for a while.
  • The truck is working well. I had to replace the alternator a week after getting it (the voltage regulator went out) but otherwise, things are good.
  • I’ve been doing a bit more on the “casual social” scene, including coffee with Charlie and Jon.
  • For reasons inexplicable, the Britney Spears song Everytime has been playing over and over and over in my head. I like it. Although the old Poison ballad Lay Your Body Down is growing on me too. But that prompts an observation: On my netbook, I have tracks on my playlists that I have no idea how they got there. Exhibit A: The Spears song. I never downloaded it, never ripped it, never even heard it (that I can recall) until it Exaile put it up in rotation. Curious.
  • I am running the BOINC client on two computers and am donating unused CPU cycles to the Rosetta, SETI and Cosmology projects (these are distributed-computing projects that search for life-saving proteins, extraterrestrial intelligence, and evidence to prove theoretical models of the universe, respectively). I feel virtuous in my symbolism — now I know what it must be like to be a liberal who gets a little pang of self-worth every time he chucks something in the recycle bin instead of the trash.
  • Work has been decent. Busy, but decent.
  • I was notified that I was accepted into “phase 2” (of two) evaluation for the about.com job. This part of the project involves taking the work I generated a month ago, in phase one, and putting it into a happy and cohesive structure. The about.com folks will then evaluate the structure for suitability and baseline competence. The section for which I’d be a guide is “media.” I am excited about the possibility.
  • I think I’ve figured out what my new weekday routine will flow: Work to the gym to the coffee shop to write a minimum of two articles, then home. Of course, the fly in the ointment is the timing of the gym run: From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., the gym is an absolute madhouse. We shall see if I have the patience to maintain it; heaven knows my waistline could use some serious cardio.
  • OK, wait. How the hell did a Dionne Warwick song get on my playlist??? </stream-of-consciousness>
  • I’ve been watching True Blood … I like this show. A nice mix of blood, sex and political intrigue. It’s the only TV I watch nowadays.
  • I have the opportunity, at the hospital, to join the Hospital Emergency Response Team. There’s some paperwork and required DHS courses to take, but it could be interesting. Will investigate.
  • The front page of gillikinconsulting.com has changed. Not sure if I like it. I think I need to re-imagine the logo and focus areas and be more consistent about internal labeling.
  • Currently reading Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herman M.D. It’s a fascinating study of how people cope with long-term patterns of abuse that damage or destroy personalities — but, I recommend it for anyone, because there are a number of strategies outlined for dealing with complex post-traumatic stress disorder that could fruitfully be applied in other, less charged situations. Herman’s comments about perpetrators suggests a link to the blossoming literature in the Hannah Arendt vein of “the banality of evil.” Were I ever to finish my M.A., my emphasis would absolutely entail aspects of the genesis of moral evil and its passive acceptance within established social structures.

All for now.

Personal, Writing, Editing & Journalism

Update: Early August Edition

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The last few weeks have been more interesting than usual.

  • Last weekend, I purchased a Ford Ranger XLT from a guy in Grandville. The truck runs great and is in excellent condition (although it could use a new paint job). I am quite pleased with it, and since I paid cash I now own it outright with no ugly monthly payments except for insurance and fuel. And it gets excellent gas mileage — roughly 25 mpg for combined city/highway driving.
  • On the social scene: Friday before last, I had a lovely dinner and drinks with Charlie at the Red Jet Cafe on Plainfield … this past Monday, I had dinner with Duane at the Woodland Mall food court … Tuesday I brought dinner to Ryan … Friday I enjoyed the seventh annual Evening of Fine Cinema, hosted by Sondra and Aaron at Sondra/Rick’s condo — the theme of the three movies was “Bad Romance” and the event was quite well executed … Saturday I went to Lansing for a lovely seafood dinner and adult beverages with Tony, Jen, Jon and Emilie; it was nice seeing them all again and I SWEAR it will not be two years before I see my favorite Novi couple again. I simply cannot bear PPQ’s ongoing disapproval.
  • On the work scene: Things are rolling along. We are making decent progress at the hospital on Informatics development, which is good. And I’ve been doing a bit more writing than usual — a fair number of my recent articles (about 50 so far over the last two months, at $20 per article) are now live at the Small Business section of the Houston Chronicle’s chron.com site.  Here’s an example piece: Advantages & Disadvantages of a Divisional Organization Structure.
  • On the physical scene: Weight continues to sloooooly come down. This week, I will start making regular trips to the gym again to run. The extra calorie burn from the aerobics will help, in addition to the slow decrease from diet alone. If I can get back into my 2005-2007 routine, I will be back at the 160-165 range I was at through most of 2006, by the end of December. That’s the goal; vitamin D may have kicked my ass, but my ass need not remain flabby now that the vitamin deficiency has been corrected.

All for now.

Computers & Technology, Personal, Politics & Culture, Writing, Editing & Journalism

Dog Days

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‘Tis the dog days of summer. The heat and humidity have been consistently, oppressively high in Grand Rapids this month, punctuated only by the occasional thunderstorm. This has led to a wonderful case of the blahs.

A few reflections and updates, in no particular order:

  1. Technology. I continue to be frustrated by my lack of data synchronization across  platforms. My primary computer is an HP laptop, and my traveling machine is an Asus netbook. The laptop runs Windows 7 and Office 2010; the netbook runs Ubuntu Linux 10.04 LTS with Evolution as the default mail client. I lease a private Exchange server with SharePoint services, but Evolution cannot speak to Exchange 2007 or higher. I’m stuck in this horrid limbo where unless I wish to use a Web application for consistent PIM use (which, I really, really don’t — especially when I’m running the netbook offline), then I’m screwed. I have Hotmail, Gmail, a personal web host running Horde, a business Exchange server, and a BlackBerry that talks to the hospital.  And none of it will just work. As much as it pains me to say it, I may just wipe the netbook and install Windows 7 and Office 2010 and hope for adequate performance.
  2. Writing. I am being evaluated for a position as the media guide for About.com. The position pays pretty well — a monthly stipend of $675 minimum for the first two years, with additional bonuses for increases in pageveiws — but I have to do a fair amount of work to be considered a finalist.  Today I wrote a 950-word article on branding strategies for newspapers, which was the first requested work product.  I should know more in a few weeks. Additionally, some of my DS work is now showing up on the Small Business section of the Houston Chronicle‘s chron.com.
  3. Work. Hospital life is interesting. The transition into a pseudo-supervisory position has been successful so far, but a lot of work remains and we are likely going to have additional changes in staffing over the next six months that will color how things unfold.  On the bright side, I do have a nice new office with a door and my own pet giant orb weaver outside the window (I call her Bertha, and I would NOT want to be a fly on her web).
  4. Friends. Social life has been somewhat sedate. Last Friday, I had a meeting with Alaric that transitioned to Cambridge House. It was quite nice chatting business while sipping a Johnnie Walker Blue, and I even had the high privilege of seeing the lovely and gracious Sondra again for the first time since the wedding reception.
  5. Family. My brother is home from Iraq, although he is returning soon for a second year-long contract. Oh, and my mother’s kitchen renovation is moving along nicely. And Gradey had a nasty bacterial infection earlier this month.
  6. School. People seem to be doing well in school.  Ryan and Jess are doing great in their classes this semester (and they both got solid A’s in anatomy!) and my mom rocked out her American Government class. Almost makes me want to go back to grad school.
  7. Physical. My weight continues to be stable. I still think I’m about 40 pounds too heavy, but stability is good. I can go down from there.
  8. Hair. I dyed my hair yesterday. I was going to have it done the last time I went in for a trim, but the stylist nearly decapitated me so THAT was out of the question. The last time I had color done, I went a few shades lighter than my natural brown. Unfortunately, some gray was appearing and the old color was fading and I though I looked like some sort of queer calico cat, so it was high time to fix it. I went darker this time, a deep oak brown, and I did it myself. And I didn’t even stain anything, woohoo.
  9. Politics. I have been trading emails with a woman about the governor’s race, presumably off the “Vote Hoekstra” post (which was cross-posted to Red County). Interesting how diligent she has been in tracking down who supports whom. Speaking of the governor’s race, I still encourage support for Pete Hoekstra. Of all the candidates, I think he is the best choice for Michigan.
  10. Transportation. Looks like I’ll be getting a new car, as soon as next weekend. That will be nice. I think I’m going to just buy something outright and avoid a payment, so I may go the “short-term beater” route for now.  I’m sort of in a bind, insofar as I am now expected to do a lot more traveling for the hospital (e.g., to Freemont) and can’t spend as much time in transit as I used to.

All for now.

Personal

Miscellany …

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Of record:

  • Today is Ryan’s 23rd birthday.  He and Jess and the kids are in the U.P. with Jess’s family, having fun and playing in the lake while I sit here drinking mochas.  Mmm, mocha. They are enjoying themselves and unwinding, which is very important.
  • This has proven to be a fairly decent holiday weekend so far. Friday was pleasant — I went to Little Africa for Ethiopian food with Charlie, then we went to Cambridge House, where we sampled three different varieties each of top-shelf scotch, tequila and port. A very good evening.
  • Saturday was spent shopping at the mall, followed by some writing and coffee at Bitter End, and some lovely conversation with Abbi. Then I got to relax a bit.  Woohoo.
  • I spent the morning at the office.  A few weeks ago I was quasi-promoted to interim team leader for my workgroup.  This is a six-month trial of processes and effectiveness before final decisions are made.  One benefit — I got an office, into which I moved Friday afternoon and wrapped up the move today. This will be an interesting new aspect to my job; we shall see what comes of it.

All for now.

Personal

… Another Day in Paradise

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It’s been a few weeks since the last general update.  Here’s what’s new and happenin’ in the life of your humble blogger.

  • Went to my cousin’s wedding reception last Friday.  Callista and Patrick were married several weeks ago in a small civil ceremony and they celebrated last night with friends and family at St. Cecilia’s.  It was quite lovely.  I really like Patrick — he is a nice young man.  And I’m very proud of my eldest cousin; she has come far, and has found success and happiness.  I wish them both the best as they begin their life together as husband and wife, far off in the heights of Denver.
  • I finally don’t look like an unemployed homeless man, thanks to a haircut last week.  I did, however, get poked by the scissors in the back of the head and bled for like 15 minutes.  The stylist did a nice job, though.  And he didn’t charge me.
  • Life at the hospital has taken an interesting turn. A nice development has arisen for me, but I am not at liberty to share details until a formal announcement is released. Stay tuned.
  • Been working more with Tony about his law practice. As with so many things in life, 90 percent of the struggle isn’t with the “what” but with the “why” — or with finding the motivation to engage in the drudge work necessary to bring success. I hope he continues to work hard for his.
  • Haven’t been quite as social lately, although I did manage to lose a chess match to Abby last Saturday whilst tinkering away at Bitter End. I have been a fair amount of contract writing — recent clients include Walden University’s Think+Up graduate program and supplemental evergreen articles for use by the Houston Chronicle’s chron.com. Both are good exposure, and pay decently … as long as I can find the time and motivation to do the writing.
  • I decided to get an “enhanced” Michigan driver’s license. This is different from an ordinary operator’s license in that it requires additional identity verification and is issued by Homeland Security. The enhanced license is a legal substitute for a passport for land and sea travel into the U.S. from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. So when Tony finally takes me to Windsor for a fun day of gaming, I won’t have to worry about having my passport handy!
  • I think I have genuinely stabilized weight-wise after the horror that was Vitamin D Deficiency. I peaked in February and have been slowly coming down, at long last.
  • Ryan and Jess and the kids are doing pretty good.  The two adults are taking classes and doing well, despite their distaste for anatomy. Their whole family is doing well; Jess’s brother and his new wife just welcomed a new son into their family yesterday, which is really cool. I wish them the best.
  • The race for Michigan’s GOP gubernatorial nod is starting to heat up. I continue to strongly support U.S. Rep. Peter Hoekstra for the job, and look forward to attending a townhall meeting tomorrow with Hoekstra and U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint. Yay.
  • I need a new cell phone; my Blackberry Curve has a cracked screen and seems close to death. Strongly considering moving to the HTC Evo. The charm of the Blackberry was the seamless integration with the Exchange server at the hospital, but early next month the hospital is pushing very strong security policies (including mandatory PIN numbers) that make me uncomfortable. So I may move to an Android phone and simply not be 24×7 available to co-workers.
  • Alejandro, my dear young friend, recently left America to return to his native Columbia. I wish him well in his life’s journey

All for now.

Personal

Remembrance of Memorial Days Past

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Curious, what milestones we set for ourselves. For some reason, Memorial Day seems to be an annual turning point for me:

  • 2010:  TBD.  🙂
  • 2009:  Triplets had just been born the week prior; Ryan and Jess were moving to Grand Rapids from Bay City.
  • 2008:  Met Andrew (inaugurating a six-month period of cultural and relationship turmoil); went for first trip to Las Vegas with Tony.
  • 2007:  Participated in community parade on behalf of the dojo — which helped me make more connections there. Also, I caught up on all my old bills and finally achieved a solid financial position.
  • 2006:  Increased the distance I ran on the sidewalks of Kentwood, a pattern that held for the entire summer.
  • 2005:  First signifianct “make-over” as part of my major weight-loss program — new hair style, got contacts, changed my wardrobe — before heading to family party at my mom’s cottage.
  • 2004:  Had to prepare an newspaper issue almost single-handed, because almost all of my editors were away.
  • 2003:  Friday prior, I received my diploma for my B.A. from Western Michigan University.

It remains to be seen what new delight will greet me this Memorial Day.