Headline June 20, 2017/ ''' *AMERICA AND AMERICA* '''

''' *AMERICA AND AMERICA* '''

*I AM A GRADUATE STUDENT*  at a prestigious university in the rural United States. On a recent evening, I found myself locked out of my-

Campus office after the administrative staff in the building had left for the day. Sheepishly, I called the  campus police  for help, and soon after,  an officer  -a white man, probably in his 60s  -showed up with the master keys.

Because I felt bad about using police resources for such a silly oversight, I was apologetic and very friendly. He opened the door and then asked for two forms of identification, just for the purposes of procedure.  

A little bit about my background : Though I am an  International Student on a student visa, I've spent enough time in the  United States to have an accent that is barely perceptible.

I also happen to be  light-skinned   [someone who might check -white Hispanic.''  in a survey]. and have been told that I dress and carry myself like an  upper-middle class white American.

In other words, problematic as it might be, I can pass as white, I realize the privilege this carries in my encounter with law enforcement. 

*[I was once pulled over for running three red lights in a row, and upon hearing my explanation, the officer let me go without even a warning]*

On the evening in question, it was no different.

The campus policeman opened the door before checking my ID.  I made conversation about the terrible state of the building; and he commended on the terrible state of the university.

He criticized the  university's recent decision to open a campus in a nearby city, which took much-needed jobs and resources from the area. He remarked on how long my name was......

[As a Latin American, I use both my father and mother's name] and asked how to pronounce it.

I said I was from  South America  and explained how the names worked.. When he replied by asking me if I was going to stay in the country after graduation, I suspected where the conversation might go.

I answered that I wasn't sure,  but that if there was one place I would stay, it would be this little town because it is such a lovely community.

*He proceeded to tell me  that this place   wasn't what it used to be.   -that you just could  not say  what you thought anymore*

I nodded and smiled uncomfortably.

He then said it was outrageous that the  university  was going to put body cameras on  campus police officers; it would keep him from doing his job, he said, because he would not  be able to have honest conversations with people.

Reluctantly, I nodded again.

Then he said that he used to work for the  local Police  Department  and that he knew the campus will and how much things had changed.

''There used to be stabbing and rapes, every night in the dorms,'' he assures me.

Thinking about  recent accusations  of  rape and campus    statistics nationwide, I replied that there was still a lot of rapes.

At that point he said that  80 per cent   of the rape accusations now were : ''just to get attention''  and that the  real problem was  that....  .'' fake accusations ''    made it worse for the  '' real ones ''.

He concluded,  ''Women don't like to hear it,  but that is true,'' I replied, ''Including this woman.''

Recognizing that we were alone in the building and that,  police officer or not, this man had a gun, I declared not to pursue it and was grateful when his phone rang and he finally left.

THOUGH I don't think of myself as a victim of his bias, I am torn about whether I should do something, with a knowledge that a member of the campus police-

*Thinks and says these things*.

The Honour and Serving of the latest Operational Research on Nations, Societies and Students,   continues. Thank Ya all for reading and sharing forward. And see you all on the following one.

With respectful dedication to Professor Kwame Anthony Appiah, and Students, Professors and Teachers of the World. See Ya all on !WOW!   -the World Students Society and.......... Twitter-!E-WOW! -the Ecosystem in 2011:

'''Routines & Dreams'''

Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless