Member-only story
Intoxicated and Sleeping It Off — In Your Car
A Story of White Privilege
June 12, 2020, police responded to a call about a 27-year-old man, Rayshard Brooks, sleeping in his car at a fast-food establishment. He failed a field sobriety test, resisted arrest, and ran from the police. He was shot and killed after pointing a taser toward the officer.
You may think who would sleep in their car. I would think that too, but my husband told me several stories where he did just that.
The first one was in 1977, at 19 years old (the drinking age was 18). Chuck was headed to his college class when he saw his brother at his friend’s house. They suggested Chuck have a couple of drinks with them before he went to class. He did. They ran out of vodka, and his brother asked him to get more. Chuck and his friend went to the liquor store. They bought more vodka and left to go back. The cashier called the police because they thought they were intoxicated. When the police called Chuck’s mom asking about a car registered in her name, she told them her son was driving the vehicle, and he was in class. The police found the car at the friend’s home and called his mom again to come to the house and identify her son. When the police arrived, Chuck was in the passenger seat, sleeping. He had decided to sleep it off. The officer told him he was lucky that he was not in the…