Officers Called On Black Man Walking Infant Son In A Stroller

Officers Called On Black Man Walking Infant Son In A Stroller

It seems that simply being in the presence of certain white people constitutes a call to a law officer in their eyes.

A Washington D.C. man had park security called on him, simply because a white woman passing him and his infant son felt that his presence was “suspicious.”

Yes, you read correctly. A Black father pushing his son in a stroller through a public park had her shaken enough to notify authorities.

Donald Sherman, a Washington DC-based lawyer took to his Facebook page to recount the incident. He says that after staying home from work with his infant son who had run a fever that morning, he decided to take the baby out for some fresh air. But his stroll through the park took a turn when the wrong white woman got an eyeful of this peaceful father/son moment. Via Diversity Inc:

“Thirty minutes into our stroll I got flagged by a security officer in one of those cars marked ‘Special Police’ on the side. I was a bit confused as to whether she was looking for me to stop but she honked twice and pulled over so I got the picture.

She told me that she received a complaint from someone who said there was a ‘suspicious man’ walking on the bike path with a baby. She said that when the complainant was asked to describe my race, she declined.

Nevertheless, this person, a white lady on a bike who veered off as Caleb and I were walking in her direction, saw fit to report me to security.”

Thankfully, this interaction with security was “pleasant” as Sherman described it, and the officer simply took the opportunity to inform him of what had happened before going on her way and allowing him to continue his walk with his son.

“If this complaint had been made to a different security officer or an actual cop, things could have gone very differently. This is exactly why we have to talk about white privilege and why Black lives matter.

Because at any point doing anything anywhere my safety and my child’s safety could [have] been in jeopardy because of some well-intentioned complaint.”

SMH. It would really be nice if these people would simply learn to mind their business and allow Black people to do the same, instead of wasting time, energy, and tax dollars on pointless police calls.

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