I was stopped by an officer, and a gentleman

By Eleanor P. Sam

You have to have buried your head in the sand recently to have missed the lament about how Black women continue to be misjudged, misunderstood and mistreated. Much of this is true, but is there something else that might also be true? 

Recently, to avoid the mess of end-of-summer construction, I took a detour in my neighbourhood’s backstreets, where I inadvertently made an illegal left turn. So, when the siren sounded, and flashing lights erupted behind me, filling my mirror with the grey, white and black image of a police cruiser, my first thought was, “really?” I’d seen the cop car close to the intersection, but this did not concern me, as in my mind, I wasn’t breaking any laws. I pulled over, put the window down, and waited for the interrogation to begin. The young officer came up to the driver’s side and advised me that his body camera was on.

He proceeded to tell me that I had made an illegal left turn at the intersection, as there was a clearly marked sign that prohibited this action. I was taken aback, and asked if the sign was new because of the current road construction. He told me that it had always been there. I have lived in the area for almost twenty years, have walked and driven this street, but never had to make this left turn; it was only because of the construction that I had. The officer then asked to see my driver’s licence, insurance and ownership. I handed them over, apologized, told him I was headed to an appointment, and would appreciate the ticket without delay. He promised to do his best to get me on my way, then returned to his cruiser. I waited.

The five or so minutes it took for him to return, I watched the clock on my dashboard tick down, hoping that I wouldn’t miss my appointment.

A few minutes later, P.C. Michal Zielonka of 22 Division, returned to my car and handed over my documents. He advised that he’d “run them through” and was not going to give me a ticket, but was issuing me with a warning. I thought, “wow, I misjudged him.” I thanked him, and went on my way, but couldn’t get his kindness out of my head. We all know the negative profile police officers are given, we see it in the news, we hear it in the community, and among our friends and family.

I’m a Black woman who broke the law, unintentionally; but I did. Was I culpable? Of course I was. Yet, I expected to be misjudged, misunderstood and mistreated by this officer, and was prepared to be issued with a ticket for the traffic violation. Instead, Constable Zielonka was respectful and compassionate. In other words, he flipped the script.  What I took away from our interaction was, we should be open, and not prejudge a person or situation.  Sometimes, when we least expect it, we’re afforded generosity from a source that surprises us. I was stopped by an officer, and a gentleman.

Eleanor P. Sam is a retired public servant, author, and community member.

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