By: Kiara Lewis
6/1/20: We were on our way to Greensboro while this white woman in a white Acura was driving in front of us under the speed limit on the highway. She blocks us next to a truck so that we can’t get around her or the truck. This is a back and forth thing from highway 77 to the next highway that we merge onto. (At this point I’m going to be honest none of us were thinking of calling the cops for obvious reasons... but we should have). We get off an exit in Mocksville to try and get away from her again. SHE FOLLOWS US. We get off the highway and back on. She’s a few cars behind for a few until the lanes are merging from 2 lanes to 1. She catches up to us and tries to push us off the road. We’re trying not to hit the car next to us so my sister swerves into an ending merge lane trying to keep the car in control so we wouldn’t flip and crash (shoutout to her immaculate driving skills). There was a point where the car was only on two wheels so my sister has to get control of the car so that we don’t flip. We look back and she’s on the phone and at that moment, we knew she was calling the cops.
We get away from her but not long after we get pulled over. Initially it was all good. The cop didn’t approach us in an aggressive manner so it was cool. The energy was calm until my sister started freaking out and I was wondering why she was hysterically crying. I then look to my right and immediately my heart stops as I say “WHY YOU GOT A GUN?” 2 officers on the passenger side 1 with a pistol and the other with a rifle. To be honest in that moment I wasn’t thinking of being “complacent'' because my life flashed before my eyes. I was confused and not to be dramatic, but I thought I was going to get shot. All the while the cops are telling us to calm down it’s okay. CALM DOWN?! SIR you have a RIFLE close to my face with your finger on the trigger. They tell us to put our hands up where they can see them. THIS WOMAN CALLED THE COPS AND TOLD THEM MY SISTER WAS WAVING A GUN AT HER. They take us out of the car one by one to pat us down and check the car. There were unnecessarily 4 cop cars present and 4 black women- with no weapon I might add- standing on the side of the highway. Thank God the cops were decent and there was no harassment of any kind because that situation could have gone differently and the lady who called the cops knew that. THERE’S A TARGET ON OUR SKIN.
We made it home safe but traumatized. I’ve never been more scared than when I saw that rifle next to my face. It's disheartening that this felt like a near death experience. All I could think about was the different scenarios of how this situation could have gone wrong. We have to protect ourselves and each other.
I AM LIVID.
AND I'M STILL PROUD TO BE BLACK.
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