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A Left Coast Thang: Notoriety or Notorious?
Anybody pushing a Benz, Bentley, Ferrari or Porsche and says they don’t want to be noticed is having some serious denial issues. Thing is, there’s good noticed and bad noticed. I have the good fortune to be associated with some really amazing cars and some of the reactions I get from the street are equally amazing. I once had a couple actually come up to me after seeing me step out of the new Bentley Continental GT Convertible and ask; “Are you somebody we should know?” Being neither an athlete nor an entertainer, I’m sure I wasn’t–but there seems to be an intrinsic belief that if you’re African-American and flossing a cashed-up whip, you must be famous - or worse, infamous. Cruising smooth across the San Francisco Bay Bridge one sunny Saturday morning in a stunning silver Mercedes-Benz CL 65 AMG, I noticed a dark blue unmarked Ford Crown Vic matching my pace and lane changes, move for move. Now a brother’s been around long enough to recognize Five-O, even when Five-O ain’t trying to be recognized, so upon exiting the bridge, I immediately pulled over to give Mr. Plain- clothes a chance to indulge his curiosity. First thing out of his mouth; “Nice car, is it yours?” Incredulity dripping from his tone. One didn’t have to look too hard to see he felt an African-American shouldn’t be driving a car like that. If I wasn’t somebody famous, then I was more than likely somebody infamous. And if that turned out to be the case, that Benz was on its way to impound-and so was I. “It’s mine this week.” I responded.
I then explained that in my occupation as an automotive journalist, I frequently drive cars of this nature for evaluation purposes. After reviewing license, registration, business card(!) and insurance documents - satisfying himself that all was copacetic - he then tried to smooth his way out of the harassment. “I wish I had a job that gave me cars that cool to drive” he said, feigning admiration, but the envy inscribed all over his face cold gave him away. Which basically brings us to the point. If you’re rolling in a ride that obviously required the breaking off of substantial cheddar, in all probability, the day is going to come when your rear view mirrors are going to erupt flashing red and blue lights - for no apparent reason.
Thing is, how you react will be the difference between going on with your day and the day going on without you. First thing, if you see a cop eyeing you, make sure you’re within the speed limit and signaling your every move. If it looks like he’s going relentless on you, go ahead and pull over before he asks. He might just keep on going. But choose the spot carefully. If it’s night, find a brightly lit area with lots of passersby. You also want to make sure it’s a spot where the cop can walk up to your car without worrying about being hit by other traffic. Gas stations and shopping center parking lots are ideal. If he doesn’t just keep on going, do not get out of your car. Cops perceive that as a threat and the last thing you want is a cop that’s feeling threatened. As soon as you stop, get your license, registration and insurance papers out and ready. Move slowly and deliberately as you retrieve these documents, so it doesn’t look like you’re trying to hide something before the cop gets there. Having all your information already in hand saves you the trouble of opening your glovebox or going into your pocket with a cop standing there wondering whether you’re going to be coming out with your license and registration, or a Nine. If you have passengers, you want all of their hands readily visible when the car is approached. Make sure everyone has their hands either on the dash directly in front of them, or on the headrests directly in front of them, and tell everyone to keep them there for the duration of the exchange with the police officer. The idea is to create a vibe that will relax the cop into chilling and treating you like folks. Make sure everybody in the car speaks only if spoken to. Communicate with the officer in your most relaxed, civil and intellectual tone. Even if you know the cop is stopping you on a humbug, out on the street is not the spot to get the cop told. If you’re cited, do not argue with the officer, all of their contact information will be on the citation and if you’ve been falsely cited, go get your day in court. If you’re going to disagree with a police officer, it’s best to do so in a well-lit courtroom in front of a judge, a lawyer and lots of witnesses. A polite tone will generally get them back into their car and you back on your way. Yeah, you might feel like you got punked in the process, but at least you’re free to exact your revenge through the legal system. As opposed to in jail, or worse.
Lyndon Conrad Bell is editor of African Americans On Wheels magazine
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