I am trying to be strong and push through another test of life again. One year ago in December, my life changed for the worse. I had worked myself off the streets and was working as a driver for a company for six years. Well, thanks to the police, my clean driver’s record was tarnished and I am behind on bills and about to lose my car. And my bank is drained of all the savings I had.
It all began when I was driving home from work one day in a storm. I had just finished a 12 hour shift and my phone fell off of my center console. It rolled beneath my seat, so I pulled over. Since the storm was heavy, I decided to stay there for a few minutes. But before long, a cop pulled up to me and accused me of drinking.
He gave me a breathalyzer and I blew a 0.00. I knew I would be fine because I hadn’t been drinking, I had just come off of work. But the cop decided this wasn’t enough and said he wanted a blood sample.
So he took me to the precinct and put a tow sticker on my car. But since I didn’t break the law, they had to take me back. In fact, the judge who later dismissed the case said the policeman didn’t follow the proper procedures. Even as the policeman was ordered to take me back to my car, he just put me out on the highway and told me to find my own way there.
It was close to 1 a.m. and I had to walk down the highway before I could find it. When I told this story to one of my customers, they asked me if it was a white cop who did this. I said, “Nope, it was a Black cop.”
This unforeseen incident has cost me a lot of money and time wasted, going to and from courts. Even though I’ve been acquitted of all charges and I have paperwork to prove my innocence, my driving record is still tarnished.
Despite this bad news, I’m trying to stay positive. I know this is only a test for me. It is nothing new to me. Things like this happen and you can’t know why, especially when things are going good and you think you have everything together. I know I will rise again. I know this is just another road I have to cross. It’s just one more road I have to take.
