Friends treat people like people

I have to say something here.  I was trying to avoid it, but in the end I think it needs to be said.

I was driving home last winter when I came to an intersection near my apartment.  It was an area mostly inhabited by low income people, students, and people from the mission.  The light turned green and the sign above said, "right turn yield to oncoming traffic." I waited what seemed like eons and no one moved, so I went ahead and turned.  I was half way down the block when a police car zoomed up behind me, lights flashing, siren going full blast.  I pulled over.

The officer stormed up to my car and said gruffly, "You did not yield!"  I apologized profusely.  Then he asked, "Do you live near here?"  I told him I did.  "Do you have a license?"  Of course I did and I showed it to him.  He looked at it as he asked for my car registration, IF I had one. I gave it to him.  Then he said he needed proof I was insured.  I showed him my insurance card. He went back to his car where I'm sure he checked me out and found out I had a record so perfect I receive little commendations whenever my driver's license needs to be renewed and this year they told me I could just renew it through the mail unless something had changed.

He returned and said that I had better learn to follow the rules and that my insurance was almost expired so I BETTER GET IT RENEWED.  I meekly told him they have always sent me a new card  and I was sure they would this year too.

He told me I could go, but to be more careful, then he returned to his car.  I waited for him to turn the spotlight off so I could see if there were any cars coming before I pulled out, but he never did that.  I finally signaled, pulled out cautiously hoping no one would hit me and drove home.

Had I been a more volatile person, or younger, I might not have been as meek and cowed as I was.  This man was confrontative and even made me angry.

We will continue to have incidents like Ferguson as long as police officers feel they have the right to treat people this way.  I taught my children that a policeman was their friend, but this man was not my friend.  He was a man in charge of bad people he had to brow beat into submission.