Delta Kappa Epsilon - Wesleyan University

how was it that, after calling 911 for help, the next thing I knew, I was face down on the green grass at 12:30 a.m. in my hometown with guns pointed at me? They had made a mistake. It was the deranged guy following me who was the culprit they were after. I was leaving a party when I decided to walk home. I lived a mile away, in a less affluent part of town. It was only 11:30 p.m., so I knew I'd be home before midnight, when my mother expected me. It was a beautiful night and I took a right on Eagle Rock Way to take a longer, quieter walk home. There were barely any cars, the houses were beautiful, and I had the time. I was startled by the random man on a bicycle who approached me. He had his hoodie up, covering a lot of his face. "Do you know where Eagle Rock is?" he asked. I was flustered. He seemed off. I wondered if he was homeless. "Just keep going up, you'll get there eventually," I responded. "You live around here? Let me follow you home! Let me follow you home," he said. Now I was downright scared. He reached out for me and I turned and ran. As he yelled "Come back here!" I felt him gaining on me. I headed into a backyard, attempting to jump over a fence. My shoelace got caught and I ended up falling on the shoulder I'd injured earlier that day in football practice. But I had to keep moving. I ran and hid in the bushes, where I dialed 911. But then I heard him getting closer; I ran to the front yard, phone in hand, and was immediately met by six flashlights with guns under them, all pointed at me, telling me to "Get on the ground!" My mind was racing. Why were these guns pointed at me? "I'm the wrong guy," I said with a shaky voice and immediately hit the ground. My new button-down shirt, my slacks, and dress shoes were now covered in mud. I was being searched by multiple officers, who were emptying my pockets. Why was I being treated like a criminal? After I explained myself and the police no longer saw me as a threat, I learned that the homeless man was an undercover cop. He chased me because I ran. But who wouldn't run from a strange man asking to follow you home? Apparently, I "fit the description" of a burglar who was robbing houses in the area. Racial profiling, first hand. I have read the stories in the news, but I never imagined it would happen to me. Then it did. This is really real, this can happen to anyone, and it just happened to me. Life is complicated, but I'll take it. It's difficult to empathize when you've never gone through it. However, I now felt the pain of black men in a biased world. I want to spread awareness, and though we never chose to take a knee at Montclair High School, I support the players who choose to do this when they play. Injustice can happen to anyone, and that is simply not okay. For the first time, I understand why they kneel. Standing with the Black Lives Matter Movement (Continued from page 1) 2 Delta Kappa Epsilon Chapter Officers President Danny Banks dbanks@wesleyan.edu Vice President Jack Zangre Treasurer Everett Lee New Member Educator David Estevez Philanthropy Chairman Cole Hoffman Risk Management Chairman Justin Johnson Social Chairmen Steve Bray Ashton Scott

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