"There's nothing that can be done", who do the Columbia Police Department actually SER

**TRIGGER WARNING: USE OF RACIAL SLURS**

On April 8th around 5:15 what is described in the above FaceBook post happened to me. Once again in Columbia, Missouri, white people are harassing people of color, specifically black people using racial slurs and nothing is being done about the situation. This was not the first time I had been called a nigger before and it was not the first time I had experienced racial violence in Columbia. In fact a few months ago in February, I was crossing an intersection on campus and a white male driving a Mazda failed to stop at the stop sign and proceeded driving through the intersection where I was crossing. After almost being hit, I questioned the driver why he didn't stop at the stop sign. He laughed and replied, "It was a courtesy to let me cross". So much occurred in those few moments with this micro-aggression that I did not get the chance the write down the plate so that further action could be taken.

On the 8th when a cup was thrown at my car and I was called a word that historically has been used to oppress me and my ancestors, I made sure that I would not make the same mistake. When this happened I immediately wrote down the plate number and took a picture of the vehicle, but it still wasn't enough for the Columbia Police Department. I was told that since there was not damage to my car that "there's nothing that can be done".

I wasn't surprised that "nothing could be done". In the back of my head I knew that the instigators of this incident would not be disciplined in any way. These were white people who inflicted harassment and a committed a hate crime toward a black woman, of course nothing would happen to them. The concept of police and policing in America started around the mid to late 1800's where bounty hunters job was catching runaway slaves for compensation. The current laws were created to protect and benefit white people while at the same time criminalizing people of color through over policing these marginalized groups more than whites.

After calming down and thinking about the events that occurred, what angered me the most about this situation was what if the object used against me wasn't just a McDonald's cup. What if these people pulled out a taser or even a gun. What the Columbia Police Department do if I was injured or even dead? And would they take an HOUR to call me back about the situation? I was truly angered at the fact that the Columbia Police Department showed me that they DO NOT work for me or for people who look like me. Their lack of action showed me that they are allies to the white aggressor and not the black victim. The Columbia Police Department could care less about my black body that was put in danger. I didn't and I don't expect a force of historically hyper aggressive racist to be my savior when someone uses force and/or hate speech against me. Not to mention Missouri is a pretty conservative and racist state. The police perpetuate violence every time they kill an unarmed black boy, and stop and frisk innocent young men of color in inner cities. The police cannot save marginalized people. The police were created to capture us, imprison us and destroy us. Why would they save us? The sad truth of the matter is that we have to save and liberate ourselves. We must love and support each other when situations like this arise so that we can take action against these injustices.

#racism #Columbia #Missouri #racialslurs #institutional