I think we’re all aware that Black men in the United States have to be very wary while driving anywhere. Black men have been pulled over, harassed, arrested and even killed for driving while Black.
We have hit a new low, though, and police are very lucky that the young college football player involved had a sense of humor and a huge amount of empathy.
Law Newz is reporting that Faith Ekakitie, a defensive lineman for the Iowa Hawkeyes college football team, was engaged in the latest craze that is sweeping the nation.
He was out playing “Pokemon Go” in a neighborhood park. He was wearing headphones and listening to loud music as he searched for the elusive Pokemon. What he didn’t know what that just a few minutes earlier, a bank had been robbed nearby. The suspect’s description was vague enough to match his own. It read:
“A large Black man, dressed all in black, with something on top of his head, and the suspect is armed.”
Ekakitie listened to his music, black goggles on his head, phone in his hand as he searched for Pokemon. The police saw him, and began to follow. They called out, asking him to turn around with his hands up. They identified themselves as police. Faith Ekakitie ignored them; he didn’t hear them through the music in his headphones. His focus was on his phone.
They repeated their requests, but again the young college student failed to comply. They all drew their guns and began to surround him.
This is where the story deviates from what we have come to suspect. This is where the story shows what can happen when everyone takes a deep breath and thinks before acting.
Faith Ekakitie finally noticed the police around him. He says that he “feared for his life,”at that moment. He stopped in his tracks.
The police held their guns in place, allowing Faith Ekakitie to take out his identification and show it to them. They did not shoot. They took the time to find out who he was and why he was there in that park.
The situation was cleared up without a shot being fired.
Faith Ekakitie thanked the Iowa City Police Department, saying they behaved “professionally.” He knew that he could have ended up as another statistic, and is grateful that the outcome was so positive.
This is the way such encounters should always end. With the innocent Black suspect walking away, whole and healthy, ready to play Pokemon or football another day.
It can be done.
Featured image by BagoGames via Flickr. Available through Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
