I quote the author: Not long ago, I was walking with a friend to a crowded restaurant when I spotted two cops in line and froze. I tried to figure out how to ge

I quote the author: Not long ago, I was walking with a friend to a crowded restaurant when I spotted two cops in line and froze. I tried to figure out how to get around them without having to walk past them. I no longer wanted to eat there, but I didn’t want to ruin my friend’s evening. As we stood in line, 10 or so people back, my eyes stayed on them. I’ve always gone out of my way to avoid generalizations. I imagined that perhaps these two cops were good people, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what the Santa Monica police had done to me. I found a lump in my throat as I tried to separate them from the system that had terrified me. I realized that if I needed help, I didn’t think I could ask them for it. I'm not sure what she intended to say with this closing paragraph but it seems like she has come to realize why some people get uneasy around certain other people. If you have had bad experiences with some members of a particular group (cops, PoC, lawyers, etc) you might have reservations about future interactions with other members of that group. Even if she doesn't like that she has those thoughts, she is admitting to trying to avoid some people just based on her past experience. This is exactly what other people get called racist for feeling. Something to think about.