Actor LeVar Burton’s Lesson : How Not To Get Shot By The Police

Actor LeVar Burton, best known as the former host of the children’s show “Reading Rainbow”, talked about the unfortunate realities of being a Black man in America. During a segment from CNN’s new documentary “The N Word”, Burton shared a lesson with viewers : how not to get shot by the police.

LeVar Burton explained as a Black man he’s often stopped by the police.

Because of it, he’s developed a procedure to avoid being shot by officers.

“I do that because I live in America,” Burton added.

“This is a practice I engage in every time I am stopped by law enforcement,” Burton said. “And I’ve taught this to my son who is now 33 as part of my duty as a father to ensure that he knows the kind of world in which he’s growing up. I take my hat off, I take my sunglasses off, I put them on passenger’s side. I roll down my window, I take my hands, I stick them outside the window and on the door of the driver’s side because I want that officer to be as relaxed as he can be.”

Hearing his statement sent chills down my spine, as it is a reminder this unfortunate reality still exists. But what was more compelling was when author Tim Wise chimed in and talked about white privilege. Wise shared a telling experience. When he was 23 years old, he locked his keys in the car. While trying to break into his car using a coat hanger, a police officer approached him. Instead of questioning Wise why he was breaking into a car, he casually said to Wise he was “breaking into the car the wrong way” and offered to help him.

“The cop was trying to help me break in,” Wise remarked. “Now, there is not a Black man in this country, 23 years of age, for whom that would have been the reaction… Basically, what my mom told me was, ‘Be nice to cops.’ She didn’t say, ‘Don’t move your hands because you’re going to get shot.”