In this police harassment video, a young black male has been pulled over by an NYPD officer. This video was shot by a bystander who happened upon the scene.
The original traffic violation the officer, who is also black, cited the young man for was running a red light and not having brakes on his bike. In the video, you hear the officer originally tell the young man that he’s going to give him a break and not write a ticket. The video cuts away for a few seconds, and then you see the officer telling the young man that he’s writing him two tickets.
What happened in between giving the young man a break and not writing a ticket to writing him two tickets you ask? The young man had the audacity to ask the NYPD officer for his name and badge number. After that, the officer decided to go back on his word and write two tickets. The second ticket was for not having brakes on his bicycle.
But don’t let me give you the impression that this officer did not have a heart. He explains to the young man that because he ran out of ticket paper in his book, that he would only give him the original ticket, for running the red light — the ticket he originally said he would not write. The red light ticket is also the more expensive of the two.
When questioned on why he changed his mind, he just replied:
“Because I have discretion. I’m an officer, all right?”
Some would say that the young man should not have asked for the officers name and badge number after he had been given a break. Their rationale is that he committed the offense and that the officer had the right to change his mind. There are many conservatives who would call this article “whining.” Unfortunately, America is full of people who believe citizens should kiss the boots of police officers.
I’m not one of those people. I think that if a police officer gives his word, he should not have the luxury of going back on it. Once a police officer makes a decision on whether or not to charge someone with a crime, they should not be allowed to change your mind. An officer changing his or her mind due to a lawful question being asked is, in my opinion, police harassment. No citizen should have to worry about police retaliation if they are asking a lawful question. I wonder how differently that conversation may have been if the camera had not been there?
Here’s the video:
