By Dillon Thompson, Yahoonews
A Black comedian is teaching a vital lesson after sharing his experience of getting pulled over by a police officer.
Keraun Harris, an actor and internet personality better known as King Keraun, posted a video about the incident on Twitter. The clip, which now has more than 2.4 million views, features Harris detailing his exchange with a white bystander, who turned out to be a helpful ally.
In his video, the 32-year-old says he was pulled over just outside his neighborhood. He added that he’d recently gotten a new car, and only had a temporary license plate.
“So the cops pull me over and they’re like, ‘Why don’t you got plates on your car?’” Harris says. “So I tell them the story … and they’re like, ‘OK cool, we’re gonna check and make sure it’s your car, and if it is you’re free to go.”
Harris explains that, as a Black man, he’s used to being “guilty until proven innocent,” so he sat patiently and waited for the officer to return.
Meanwhile, he noticed another car parked across the street. Inside, there was a white woman on her phone, recording Harris’ entire exchange with the officer.
“I’m like, ‘What the hell is this lady doing?’” Harris says. “But then I look at her face, and she’s just looking all scared — like she’s almost in distress.”
“And then it hit me,” he adds. “This lady is recording me because she’s scared something is gonna happen to me.”
Harris said this was the “first time” he’d experienced something like that.
“She’s out here being an ally,” the comedian went on to say. “This is some crazy s***, because I’ve never seen this ever happen to me.”
According to Harris, it took the officer 15 minutes to run his plates. The woman stayed on her phone the entire time, recording everything.
When the cop finally returned and let Harris go, he looked across the street at the woman.
“She’s looking back at me and she’s giving me a thumbs up like, ‘You alright?’ he explains. “And I’m like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah. We good.’”
Harris said the woman was “relieved” to learn he was OK. According to his clip, she stuck around until he pulled away safely before finally leaving the scene herself.
The actor, who’s appeared on shows like “Black-ish” and “Insecure,” said the exchange left him stunned.
“I was like, ‘Damn ally, ain’t this something!’” he said. “You know as a Black man you’re not used to your allies. But we’ve really got allies out here, recording our traffic stops and making sure we’re good.”
The clip received thousands of responses, with most users praising the woman’s response and Harris’ comments.
“Love to the allies,” one user wrote.
“This needs to happen more often,” another added.
Harris’ video comes after months of protests against racial injustice and police brutality toward Black Americans, sparked by the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and many others at the hands of police officers. Some of those exchanges were captured on camera, while others were not.
Among countless other issues, the protests have sparked new demands for police accountability, including calls for the increased use of body cameras. Currently, just five states have enacted laws requiring at least some officers to use body-worn cameras, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
It’s also worth noting that not every state has the same laws when it comes to recording police activity. If you want to better understand your rights, check out this helpful guide from the American Civil Liberties Union.
