In January 2015, my country said Happy New Year in the form of an Oklahoma cop that stopped my brother and I for driving while black This is an open letter to him I never thought I would say this to a real cop, but **** the police **** what you say, you did not pull us over because we were following to close You pulled over a family of black men that have proudly served this country founded on the belief that I can die because 1/3 of my life doesn’t matter But I gave you the benefit of the doubt and calmly placed my trembling hands on my thighs on the side of I-40 waiting for you to waste my time You immediately asked my brother to step out of the car so you could explain why you stopped us I immediately had flashbacks of hands up don’t shoot and i can’t breathe I had open-eyed nightmares of skittles and black sweatshirts I had an image in my mind of Emmitt Till’s open casket, and I saw my brother’s face I saw my brothers blood caked under your fingernails as you walked away Because you always seem to get away When I think of Trayvon Martin, Micheal Brown, Rodney King, Emmitt Till, and all the fallen members of my race They are each reminders that I am never too far away from being one of them too I am never too far from being made an example However, you couldn’t find a reason to justify putting us in jail cells that are marked for colored only You seemed dissatisfied that you found two black males that oddly enough, didn’t fit the description You so badly wanted to put us back in our place when we never fell out of line, none of us has ever fallen out of line You may one day get this message and think there goes another angry ***** But mr simpleton let me explain Being angry and being hurt have the exact same feeling Make the exact same sound And cry the exact same tears So it's easy to see how you could get confused Somehow you see my race as a threat to this image of a life you already live White privilege is the health insurance plan that gave you coverage specifically because you have a preexisting condition My people will continue to make strides in this most free of nations Yet to you we will always be inferior And for that i pity you You see I could go on about how you were wrong About how you are just another terrorist wearing the uniform of someone who is supposed to protect Americans just like me But you will never be worth my time