Mistreatment and insensitivity at the hands of police hasn’t stop dominating headlines over the past few years. Based on 2018’s track record, it doesn’t seem like it will slow down in the near future either, whether the tense police run-ins occur at public pools or on private property.
In Tomi Adeyemi’s case, the encounter was at her own front door. Yesterday (July 12), The New York Times best-selling author, who penned Children of Blood and Bone—the 24-year-old’s fantasy novel was also acquired by FOX 2000 in a seven figure-book deal—experienced four armed officers showing up on her doorstep, demanding to speak to someone inside even though they did not have a warrant at the time. When she asked for it, one of the officers immediately became hostile, threatening to kick her door down.
Adeyemi tried to explain how problematic of an experience it is for four police officers with guns to show up to one black woman’s doorstep after so many black bodies have been laid to rest because of them, but they weren’t hearing it. They even cracked a joke about “not seeing color” and also being discriminated against before leaving her alone.
She documented all of their intimidation tactics and her tearful reaction to them on Twitter.
4 officers just showed up on my doorstep.
they showed their badges and asked to speak to someone inside my house.
i instantly saw their guns.
when i asked if they had a warrant, an officer threatened to come back with a warrant and rip my door off its hinges.
(1/?)
— Tomi Adeyemi (@tomi_adeyemi) July 12, 2018
when it was revealed that all they wanted was to see if someone inside had a phone contact that would help them with an investigation, I asked why the officer threatened a search warrant at all or to rip my door off its hinges.
the officer denied making either threat (2/?)
— Tomi Adeyemi (@tomi_adeyemi) July 12, 2018
(and, yes—i have a video recording of him making both threats.)
when i tried to explain why four white men with badges and guns showing up on a black woman’s doorstep in 2018 was cause for extreme alarm, they said:
“this isn’t about race”
“I don’t see color”
(3/?)
— Tomi Adeyemi (@tomi_adeyemi) July 12, 2018
“I’m colorblind”
at this point i had to take a moment to myself.
i sat on my floor and cried.
but i was hoping—HOPING—this could be a teachable moment for them.
(4/?)
— Tomi Adeyemi (@tomi_adeyemi) July 12, 2018
so at the end of this encounter i pulled myself together and tried to explain AGAIN how every day for the past two years I’ve seen pictures and videos of white men with badges like theirs and guns like theirs murder and assault innocent black people.
(5/?)
— Tomi Adeyemi (@tomi_adeyemi) July 12, 2018
i tried to explain how understanding that viewpoint would help them positively interact with black people in the future.
the officer who threatened to rip my door off its hinges and then denied making this threat interrupted me to say the following:
(6/?)
— Tomi Adeyemi (@tomi_adeyemi) July 12, 2018
“I wish the public would stop focusing on the negative. It’s such a small percentage of the police force. I get discriminated against all the time.”
then the fucker made a joke.
laughed.
and walked away.
(7/?)
— Tomi Adeyemi (@tomi_adeyemi) July 12, 2018
This.
Is.
The.
Fucking.
Problem.
(8/8)
— Tomi Adeyemi (@tomi_adeyemi) July 12, 2018
and just to be clear, i am okay. i am sharing this because writing is how I process and get through trauma.
i am not going to let that bastard ruin my day or my weekend or my life.
but THIS is what is happening every single day.
to men.
women.
CHILDREN.#ThisIsAmerica
— Tomi Adeyemi (@tomi_adeyemi) July 12, 2018
We’re glad she walked away from the situation safe and sound.
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