Beverly Hills Police Stops

After having read, “Charges of Police Racism Tear At Beverly Hills’ Image” (Dec. 27), I decided to comment.

I am a 64-year-old black great-grandmother and I was stopped twice within months all because I had a young African American male with me each time. One morning in July 1989, I was traveling west on Wilshire on my way to my job as an administrator at UCLA, when Beverly Hills “finest” pulled off a side street and followed me and my son-in-law. They flashed their lights on me to pull over. I asked why they were stopping me (never got an answer). My son-in-law was asked to step outside the car and give the policeman his ID and was then frisked. My parking sticker for UCLA was very visible. I was asked where I was going and why was the young man with me. I explained to the gentleman that my son-in-law was going with me so that he could take my car back home. During this time the policeman who was questioning my son-in-law noticed on his driver’s license his address was near 77th and Broadway, on the eastside of town. The policeman wanted to know “what gang was he affiliated with?”

After detaining me for almost half an hour, they finally told me I could leave.

The second time I was stopped, I was traveling west on Olympic (on my way to UCLA), when I was pulled over. This time the African American gentleman riding with me was my nephew (who was somewhat older than my son-in-law). One of the policeman was the same gentleman who had stopped me before (approximately two months earlier). Again, my passenger was asked to step out side of the car, show his driver’s license, etc. I asked, “Why did you stop me?” After going through this humiliation, I was told I could leave. No explanation on why I was stopped.

I am an outstanding citizen. I have never been in trouble or anything. I worked as an administrator at UCLA for over 20 years. To be subjected to this type of humiliation was totally uncalled for. I feel these incidents happened only because I had these young black males riding in my car. Neither looks like a gangbanger. Nor were they doing anything to draw attention to themselves. Nor was I.

CLARETTA WALKER

Los Angeles