Black people all over America are all-too-familiar with the anxiety that comes with being pulled over—especially with the slew of publicized police-involved murders that have surfaced in recent years.
This traffic stop conducted by the Halifax Police Department in Virginia took an odd turn, however, when cops surprised the driver and passenger with—wait for it—ice cream.
The woman driving is visibly nervous when Police Chief Kevin Lands and Officer Brian Warner approach her car.
“Good afternoon, ma’am. My name is Officer Warner and I am with the Halifax Police Department. Do you know the reason why I pulled you over today?”
“No, sir,” she responds.
Warner then says: “Are you familiar with vehicle code 1.7.3.9? Well, it’s actually against the law to drive on a hot day without an ice cream cone.”
You can see the immediate relief that spreads over the faces of both the woman and the male passenger, and they all laugh as the officer hands them the ice cream cones.
Chief Lands wrote: “It’s hot out there today so the Halifax Police Department decided to cool down some speeders. With ice-cream” on his Facebook page as the caption.
Warner commented, “This was an awesome day. The Chief and I had a blast. Lots of laughs and smiles.”
Others commented positively, commending their efforts to spreading joy and rebuilding trust. Some, however, had a different take on the department’s PR stunt.
Prominent activist Deray Mckesson quoted Daily Mail’s article about it, saying: “this isn’t funny or endearing at all.” Other users expressed similar sentiments.
"Good cops." Do you know how terrifying it is as a POC to be pulled over? In Virginia? For a PR stunt to show that they are "good cops?"
— Tabula Rasa (@FrancisinMD) August 2, 2016
scaring this poor woman just to give her ice cream simply to prove you're a "good cop"? no, if she wanted ice cream she'd go to dairy queen.
— austin can't drive (@lameaustin) August 2, 2016
The Root published an article headlined: “Cops Pulling Over People to Hand Out Ice Cream Is Dangerous, Not Funny” in which essayist Preston Mitchum touched on the woman’s reaction to the stunt.
“It is an overwhelming sigh of relief that many of us understand, particularly in the past several years, and it is honestly difficult to watch,” he wrote.
Ijeoma Oluo, of the Establishment, recounted her experiences with abuse and law enforcement—comparing the relationship between self-proclaimed “good cops” and their communities to an abusive domestic relationship.
“Anybody who has been in an abusive relationship will recognize this behavior. It’s a raised hand that might be a slap but then lowers for a pat on the shoulder. It’s a friendly warning that—this time—they aren’t going to get really mad. A reminder that what you are experiencing right now isn’t really abuse—you know what real abuse looks like.”
“The woman in this video was pulled over and terrorized just to let her know that they could. And she was given ice cream to let her know that she should be grateful. And the video was broadcast so that we would all know that we should feel the same.”
Oluo also criticized Fusion’s coverage of the feel-good cop story, to which they responded by taking it down.
http://twitter.com/alexismadrigal/status/760558033856401408
Regardless of your take on this, many will agree that it’s going to take a lot more than prank stops and ice cream cones to mend the relationship, or lack thereof, between officers and the victimized members of the communities they police.
