On July 18th, 2016 Matthew McGee was doing his regular commute routine. He rides his bike to the train station in Bridgeport, CT and then rides his bike from the station to his job at a suburban country club on a private road in Darien CT. He was then stopped by police for no reason.
Please watch the video. WARNING!! You WILL see a man who is upset as any of us would be if we were riding a bike period and the police asked us if we saw anything because their were burglaries in the area. In anticipation of the stop he uses profanity in the video talking to himself but NEVER at the police officer.
There are clearly vehicles driving by that could be asked the same thing. Did he fit the description of the burglar or were they just asking what he saw doing his bike ride to work? You decide!! They even called his job to confirm if he really worked there! At a time when police need to be building bridges of trust it is things like this that continue to perpetuate more mistrust amongst the Black community and law enforcement nationwide. Someone does not have to be shot or killed to highlight a long standing issue in our communities. This man felt violated, fearful, confused, and sad all at once.
We all want the bad guys caught no matter what race but we want our constitutional rights observed as well. Americans of all races are seeing some things on video that would have been just hearsay in the past. I think we owe a lot to Google and Apple for the ubiquitous cellphone camera. It is helping us be a better country by letting us see the truth with our own eyes.
This petition wants 2 things 1. An apology to Mr. McGee and 2. Racial sensitivity training for its officers.
Lets be clear this is an attempt to communicate the need for solutions, not just frustration or lip service. Police officers are human with all the frailties and idiosyncrasy's that we all have and are subject to with a tough job and mistakes can be made. I hope the First Selectman and Police Chief will not just dismiss this as an anomaly or baseless concern. Signing this petition can help achieve that.
We can make America better if we all understand that Black males are people too. I know some Darien residents and I know they don't condone this. I am quite sure it is not what they want their town to be known for. Lets help make things better for all of us, Sign the Petition right now.
