Cop Stops Black Man For Putting His Hands in Pockets on Cold Winter Day

It’s difficult to ignore the racial aspects of
law enforcement when something as stupid as this happens. A
Pontiac, Michigan, cop stopped to question a black pedestrian
becaue the man was walking down the street with hs hands in his
pockets. As a Michigan native, I can assure you the man had good
reason to do this—it’s really cold in the winter.

Ah, but when a black man tries to keep warm, it
“makes people nervous.” Indeed, somebody who saw the man actually
called the cops, prompting the officer to check the situation.

“You were making people nervous,” the officer explained,
somewhat defensively, after the man demanded to know why he was
stopped. “They said you had your hands in your pockets.”

A video of the encounter is available below.

To the officer’s credit, I suppose, he remains fairly polite and
doesn’t taser the pedestrian—or tackle, shoot, or maim the guy in
any way at all. He’s just a little annoyed that someone would
object to being questioned for having his hands in his
pockets. Maybe this counts as a positive police
interaction, these days?

In any case, when in the Mitten State, wear your mittens. Lest
somebody sics the police on you.

Or, as News Mic’s Jared Keller
put it:

And here’s the broader lesson of McKean’s relatively pleasant
run-in with the Pontiac police: If you see a black person walking
through your neighborhood with his hands in his pockets, don’t just
assume they’re up to no good and call the police for no good reason
— especially if it’s freezing outside.