A few weeks ago while driving through New Paltz around dinner time I was pulled over by a State Trooper. When I came to a stop at the traffic light in the center of town, the cop pulled out of a gas station, yet little did I know that he had pulled out only to follow me. I had been clearly visible to him; I was the first car to come up to the intersection. I was directly in front of him. He followed me for about a mile, and just as I was leaving town he pulled me over. He turned on the bright light on his vehicle, he approached my window, and he turn on his flashlight. So the procedure began, “License and registration, please,” he said. I handed over my license and reached to the glove compartment to grab my registration.
While I was searching for the piece of paper the officer continues talking and says, “If I run this license will it be valid?” I stopped my search and looked up at him. I answered, “I don’t know, run it.” He then asked me when I received my last ticket. I told him that it was such a long time ago, I couldn’t remember. He said, “Do you know why I stopped you?” “NO,” I replied. He told me that he had stopped me because I had gone over the yellow line. I think that if I was driving out of my lane I would have gotten into a car accident, especially on a road narrow like Main Street. However, he said that he saw me drive out of my lane.
The officer insisted with his initial question, “If I run this license will it be valid?” and I told him that he could run it. He gave me a warning and told me that I had to pay more attention to the road and I should try to stay in my lane. I didn’t even show him my registration; he must have forgotten that he asked for it. If I was driving out of my lane, don’t you think he would have asked if I had been drinking, or if I was feeling tired? I believe I never crossed over the yellow line instead HE crossed the line by racially profiling me and assuming that because I was Latina I didn’t have valid documentation. This reminded me of how frequently people who fit a certain profile are pulled over by cops with any excuse. These officials believe they know what they are doing, but actually all they are doing is losing respect from those who they discriminate against.
