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I know how it feels to be profiled first hand. A Black man driving a nice car in the wrong neighborhood are the right conditions to be profiled. Is the new texting law another threat to Black men? My good friend Sean Walton Jr of THE FRESHXPRESS has some things to say about this.

VIA SEAN WALTON JR

Over the past few weeks we’ve seen a change in the laws in the great city where I live. You can actually get a ticket and be fined for texting while driving. While this doesn’t seem like a huge deal, I’d say it has far reaching implications. While the under the radar effects of this law may not be as impactful as the law passed in Arizona requiring police officers to find out the immigration status of all individuals who might not appear to be legal American citizens, it is still going to hit people pretty heavily. Why you ask? Because you can be pulled over just on the suspicion that you’re texting.

For years black people have had to deal with the racial profiling actions of law enforcement officers who think they may be guilty of Driving While Black (DWB). I personally cringe every time I hear sirens while I’m behind the wheel, or see a police officer hop behind me on the road. I instantly scan my immediate surroundings – am I strapped in? Do my brake lights work? How fast am I going? Are my tags expired? I instantly think of every possible scenario where the cops may pull me over, because I know they’re looking for a reason to. And now I have to wonder if while I’m looking around, or looking down making sure I’m not breaking the law, a police officer is going to think I’m looking down at my phone texting and pull me over. READ MORE