You Just Look Like Trouble

Last night I sent my two sons, to return some movies, get some milk at Wal-Mart and to pick up their sister Kelly. Kelly isn't able to drive because of a vision problem and takes public transportation back and forth to college.
She got off the bus and hurried into David's car. They started back home. Within seconds a police officer pulled them over. He looked into the car and started making some assumptions. He asked for David's drivers license and when he saw that he was 18 he wanted to know why he had picked up the little girl with the big bag. David explained that Kelly was his sister and that she was actually 20. (Kelly doesn't look very much like most of her brothers as our family was put together in a less than traditional way.) By this time, Kelly was upset and crying. The officer asked them to all step out of the car and David got scared and called me. I heard the officer saying to Kelly," You mean to tell me your 20 and you have no driver's license - I don't believe you!" I asked to talk to him and he told David "I'm not talking to your mommy." David hung up. The officer was nasty to them and I was fired up mad. Waiting till they came home felt like a year. The officer had patted the boys down and searched the car...went through their book bags and everything. He finally realized that there was nothing wrong and let them go.

My husband made an appointment with the police chief today and went and had a talk with him. He explained how most of the kids that come to us through foster care have a negative view of the police. We work very hard to make them understand that the police are to be respected and that they are here for our protection. My husband doesn't even allow the kids to be call them "cops" instead of police officers. He explained that although the officer who stopped them might have had reason to be suspicious, it was wrong of him to be disrespectful to them. My husband didn't file a complaint but wanted them to be aware that this was upsetting to our kids.

We are going to get Kelly some kind of ID that has her picture and age on it and we've explained to the kids that sometimes people get wrong ideas because of your age or the color of your skin.

This will be another good one for - remember when.....?