The Day the Newark, New Jersey Police Almost Shot Me
By
Clarence William Page
It was a bright sun-shiny day in New Jersey. That morning I had driven my wife to her place of employment because I needed to use her car to go to the "pound" and get my car. (The night before, while I attended a meeting in Newark [NJ], my car had been impounded due to being over-parked.)
I went to work. At lunchtime I drove to the impounding site (in the Iron Bound section of Newark). I parked my wife's car outside the gate. (The plan was: I would pay to get my car out, drive it outside the gate and park it and when my wife got off work I would pick her up and she would drive me to get my car [which would be outside the gate].)
I walked inside the gated pound. I saw a trailer (mobile home type) positioned east to west. The door faced south. I entered the trailer and saw (to my immediate left) a room with a service window. Inside the room were three (maybe four) Newark Police officers (all Caucasian) engaged in the activity of playing a game of cards. One said something to the effect of, "yeah?" or "What can we do for you?" I said (rather irritatedly), "I came to get my car". One said, "Sit down over there". They continued to play the game of cards.
I sat in what was the "waiting area". After a few minutes I became more irritated (I was on lunch break). I just got up and left.
Outside the gate I got back into my wife's car and started it up. When I looked up the three (at least three) Newark Police officers that had been playing cards were outside pointing their guns at me. I distinctly remember one of them having his gun aimed directly at me through the front windshield.
The driver side window of my wife's car was down. One of the police officers had approached the driver side window and was saying to me, "What are you doing stealing that car!?" I began saying, "This is not the car!!!" He reached his arm into the car and turned off the ignition. I kept saying, "This is not the car!!!" When the message finally got through (Thank God!!!), he said, "Come on in here and get your car."
I went in, paid the impounding charge, drove my car outside the gate, and left.
That was the day the Newark, New Jersey police almost shot me.
Source: True story by Clarence William Page