"Why is this happening to someone like me in the United States of America?"...
Because this shit and worse happens to poor and brown skinned people all of the time. And as usual, it's not a problem until it happens to people who look like this you. Let me ask you, young man: how did you vote in the last election? Did you vote for and support sheriff arpaio? What about gov. brewer? How about the parishioners you lead? Do you stand in your pulpit every sunday and vilify anyone who doesn't think like you do?
I'm going to take a stab in the dark and say you voted for a "law and order" ticket, to strip those who do not look like you of their rights within your state. The fact that you're aghast that upon not obeying the police, you got a beat down, says a lot about the "america" you live in. You need some more minority friends, s0n--they'd have told you to put your hands on your steering wheel and comply with a "yes, sir, no, sir". Catching them in a lie is besides the point; the dog is beside the point: the fact is, they asked you to follow an instruction and you refused--had you just done what they asked, like they said, you'd have been on your way. OF course they're going to go into "ramp this up and wreck his day" mode when you choose to challenge their authority.
The place to fight against that kind of thing happening to ALL Americans is in the voting booth--by voting for people who do not believe that giving up their rights and liberty is a fair or necessary exchange for being safe, not at a police checkpoint in the middle of the night.
Yes, this shit happens every. single. day. in the US of A to someone to who does not look like you because of the fear that those who willingly give up their liberties and rights base their voting choices upon--and incredible as it seems, for far, far less than what you did. Yes, it IS a huge problem.
When it comes to public employees, the only ones I have no problem cutting back on is cops. I fully support everyone else because they are serving a public good. But not armed thugs hiding behind shields. Their motto is supposed to be "to serve and protect", not "to abuse and demean..".
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