Confessions of a Dark Colored Racial profiler: Driving down highway 10 that stretches from Jacksonville Florida to California, much of it goes through some historically racial quarters. It was therefore not a pleasant experience to be stopped by a sheriff at about 10pm heading west just after entering into Florida from Alabama.
A traffic stop usually doesn’t feather me. Moving violations are not serious enough for one to panic. My theory is to follow all the instructions by the officer stopping me. I will confess that I almost mouthed off when a Georgia State trooper stopped me while on Hwy 75 somewhere after entering into the State from Florida.
In this case, it is not that he did not have a reason to stop me. We were students heading back to Illinois from Florida after Christmas. Needless to say the traffic was lite and the car was super smooth! Before I knew it, I saw him, stopped in the medium waiting for victims. Police all over the world find work when people do wrong: break the law. It is one of those ethical dilemmas. Here I am enjoying the drive and here he is declaring my enjoyment as law breaking. Messing up my joy!
The State trooper, wearing the signature smoky hat caught up with me. I will confess I had seen his blue lights but thought I can out run him. Drove that stupid thing to 90 miles an hour! But you know the United States cops never quit.
They are like the Maasai warriors. My Maasai daughter told me when you fight with them, they will keep coming back until they defeat you. Meru men are also known to have the same philosophy in fights. Kambas are presented as cowards while Kikuyus Kiss and pretend to forget, but never do. Anyway, the State Trooper came to my window and after realizing it’s a black guy driving said, “Boy!” I thought of saying, “who are you calling a boy Mzungu? I am circumcised.” But he would not have understood so I kept my mouth shut. The ticket cost me 160 bucks! 160 dollars for a student? Man!
Anyway, the Florida sheriff on I-10 was clearly a white Anglo Saxon Racist Redneck! The guy came to my window like a bulldog! He was chewing tobacco and kept spitting on his side. When he opened his mouth, it smelled of tobacco and racism! Yes racism smells if you know the smell, and I do. My whole life I have lived with or near white Americans.
My best mechanics are Mexicans and Black Americans have been my Christian brothers. As a Kenyan, I grew up using sniffing as a way to get around; I have smelled racism even among my fellow Kenyans.
After asking me for drivers license, registration and insurance, he went and checked and found nothing: A lawyer friend of mine told me when I arrived in the United States to keep my license clean and by the grace of Christ I have tried.
Then the Sherriff did something that he should not have. He looked in and saw my white companion. He asked, “are you alright, do you guys know each other?” suggesting that I might have kidnapped the white companion. “I am fine.” The white companion said. He looked at me and said. “You were speeding. Clocked you at 85 at a 75 limit. But I will give you just a warning. Take care now.”
With all the talk about racism, I have never experienced racism. That does not mean I have not smelled it. I have smelled it in the mouth of Kenyans, white Americans, Mexicans, and Black Americans. It is therefore hypocritical for people to condemn Donald Trump for being what they call a racist.
Many of the Hollywood elites who now call him racists, including black actors and celebrities did not think of him as racist before he was elected president of the United States. They call him a racist now because he is as a republican! And they do not like republican policies. It is that simple. If he were a democrat, they would embrace him. It is all politics.
We like to hung around with people who look like us, talk like us, think like we do, and share the same cultural identity. It is another affirmation of the Biblical authority. “Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” Genesis.11: 7. We are cursed into racism.
The Human curse runs deep and if not cleansed by the Spirit of God through Yesu Kristo, it rises up to evil. You see, the prince of this world is Satan and we all know his desire!
Teddy Njoroge Kamau (PhD)
HTBluff Associates
BBN TV
Diaspora Messenger Senior Columnist
Confessions of a Dark Colored Racial profiler-Hypocritical to condemn Trump
