Blacks in America have always been stopped by law enforcement. From slave patrollers during the early years of slavery whereby Blacks were required to show their freedman’s papers to the over policing of our communities or AKA “Driving While Black (DWB).”  Blacks are stopped ten times more than any other race and Black Men are stopped more than any other group.  While many stops result in arrest and frivolous tickets, there are those who will pay with their lives. Especially in the City of Raleigh. In most cases traffic stops may escalate to the search of drugs and illegal firearms. Below are the stories of four Black men were killed in the state of North Carolina by law enforcement.

MAURICE HARDEN AND TRINDELL THOMAS

On June 5, 2013, Twenty-year-old Maurice Harden and Twenty-two-year-old Trindell Thomas were traveling on Raleigh Blvd at approximately 3am in the morning when an Officer, a White RPD cop attempted to pull them over for speeding on a scooter. He also claimed that they wore no helmet and that their head light was dim.  The Officer would fail to complete the mission because Harden and Thomas were instantly struck and killed by Officer Jonathan Crews who was supposedly chasing an unknown speeding car.  Crews was traveling at 77mph in a 25mph zone where he knocked them over 170 feet in the air before falling to their death.  According to the Officer, he was in the area to conduct “Consent Searches” another tactic in policing that involves traffic stops. Another Officer stated that he was in the area to watch for speeders which is also involves traffic stops or predatory stops to escalate arrest. 

Though both officers claim to be concern with speeding, adequate head lights and safety equipment, neither turned on their lights nor sirens to alert the young men nor the surrounding community to inform them of their own speeds as they flew the neighborhood chasing unknown vehicles.

CURTIS “BANGO” MANGUM

On January 2018, Thirty-two-year-old Curtis Mangum was pulled over by RPD Narcotics Unit with three other passengers when officers asked if they had any guns and or drugs in the car. The driver was a licensed gun owner from Georgia. All four were removed from the vehicle. Mangum was the last passenger to be removed, however, officers claimed he was moving and ordered him to stop. Mangum failed to comply and was pulled out the window then slammed to the ground where offices began demanding that he spit it out.  Mangum failed to comply and each passenger was taken to the local precinct to be searched.  Mangum arrived last where an officer asked him if he had anything in his mouth, if so, he had the opportunity now to get rid of it. Mangum failed to comply and he was then searched.  After the search, paramedics came. He died later on at the hospital.

COURTNEY JERMAINE WATLINGTON

In March of 2017, Courtney Jermaine Watlington was driving late night on a dark road in Alamance County. A state trooper attempted to pull him over but Watlington failed stop because he had a similar experience with law enforcement which left him badly beaten. He had previously filed grievance against the Alamance Sheriff Department, but the action went nowhere.  Watlington hit another vehicle during the chase and then a light pole. According to sources, when officers arrived, they forbid any persons to assist Watlington out of his car as he cried for help. According to the wife of Watlington, the video shows a trooper on the driver’s side of the car appearing to look for something Instead of assisting Watlington.  The light pole eventually caught on fire and Watlington’s car erupted in flames. Watlington was transported by helicopter to UNC Chapel Hill Burn Center where he died the next day due to medical complications.

Tell the State of North Carolina and the North Carolina Justice System to Stop Lynching our men during Traffic Stops and reopen the cases of MAURICE HARDEN AND TRINDELL THOMAS, CURTIS “BANGO” MANGUM, AND COURTNEY JERMAINE WATLINGTON OF ALAMENCE COUNTY. 

Officers can not save something they hate and are still getting Racial, Equity and Inclusion Training for.