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[quote=Anonymous]I'm 38 now, but back in the fifth grade our sex ed talk was followed up by a conversation for the boys about what to expect once puberty started.

They told us that once we got over a certain height or developed facial hair that we'd be seen as a threat. Don't run through neighborhoods that we're not familiar with because they'll assume we stole something. Don't walk closely behind people, especially at night. Don't wear hoods. Don't walk with our hands in our pockets. If you're stopped by the police, be as polite as possible even if they're being mean because the slightest thing we do will be seen as aggression and justify them hurting or killing us. Never make any sudden moves at all. If they ask for ID, talk through every step of the process and move slow: "My wallet is in my back pocket. Do I have permission to get it? I'm reaching to get it now." They told us to always assume that someone is going to think we're a criminal. Don't get offended. It's more about them and their issues than ours. Don't feed into what they may expect you to be.

Howard University used to have a conference every year that we'd go to in middle school about staying safe and avoiding the police. It was called the Brother to Brother conference. I don't know if there's anything online that you can find, but I've lived by those rules since I was a child, and I had my run ins with the police starting around middle school. [/quote]

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