There's a certain irony to the great-grandson of the first African-American Ohio Highway Patrolman being the victim of racial profiling.
It's an irony not lost on Brandy Sharp. Her youngest son, Uriah, became the target of suspected racial profiling on the first day of his newspaper route. Mom followed along in the car as Uriah and his older brother hit the streets of Upper Arlington, a suburb of Columbus, to make their deliveries.
About midway through the route, Sharp said she noticed that Uriah had delivered papers to a few wrong addresses. Familiar with Upper Arlington's solicitation ordinance, Uriah returned to collect the wrongly delivered papers. It was then that someone calledUpper Arlington Police to report the junior carrier for suspicious activity, she said.
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Sharp said she knew something was up when a police car showed up. She was in her car monitoring Uriah's progress and reading a book.
After about 10 minutes the officer approached her car and asked if they were soliciting. No further action was taken after her explanation, but Sharp said the experience left her feeling angry. The anger was not directed at the police. Her grandfather was Louis Sharp, the first black patrolman hired by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Louis "Lou" Dale Sharp's Obituary on The Columbus Dispatch
"I have high respect for police," Sharp said. "I know how they are treated."
Her anger was directed at the person who "profiled" her son.
"You called the police on my 11-year-old son," she said. "I'm insulted."
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Sharp, known as Bmai Love on Facebook, turned to social media to share her experience with friends never expecting the post to go viral.
The police officer pulled up and asked questions “as if we were intruding in their area,” she wrote in her public Facebook post of July 6. “Totally disgusted.”
Sharp continued on Facebook:
“***My apologies Upper Arlington for bringing my 12 year old African American son into your neighborhood to deliver the paper and make a few dollars on the side...NO HARM INTENDED 😕."
"I will make sure my boss changes his route.”
There's a certain irony to the great-grandson of the first African-American Ohio Highway Patrolman being the victim of racial profiling.
It's an irony not lost on Brandy Sharp. Her youngest son, Uriah, became the target of suspected racial profiling on the first day of his newspaper route. Mom followed along in the car as Uriah and his older brother hit the streets of Upper Arlington, a suburb of Columbus, to make their deliveries.
About midway through the route, Sharp said she noticed that Uriah had delivered papers to a few wrong addresses. Familiar with Upper Arlington's solicitation ordinance, Uriah returned to collect the wrongly delivered papers. It was then that someone calledUpper Arlington Police to report the junior carrier for suspicious activity, she said.
More: Outrage over neighbor calling police on grass-cutting kids helps 12-year-old's summer business
More: Visiting voters led to a visit from police for Janelle Bynum, a black lawmaker from Oregon
Sharp said she knew something was up when a police car showed up. She was in her car monitoring Uriah's progress and reading a book.
After about 10 minutes the officer approached her car and asked if they were soliciting. No further action was taken after her explanation, but Sharp said the experience left her feeling angry. The anger was not directed at the police. Her grandfather was Louis Sharp, the first black patrolman hired by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Louis "Lou" Dale Sharp's Obituary on The Columbus Dispatch
"I have high respect for police," Sharp said. "I know how they are treated."
Her anger was directed at the person who "profiled" her son.
"You called the police on my 11-year-old son," she said. "I'm insulted."
More: Black Yale student reported to police for sleeping in her dorm
More: 'ID Adam': Man who questioned black woman's right to use pool loses job
Sharp, known as Bmai Love on Facebook, turned to social media to share her experience with friends never expecting the post to go viral.
The police officer pulled up and asked questions “as if we were intruding in their area,” she wrote in her public Facebook post of July 6. “Totally disgusted.”
Sharp continued on Facebook:
“***My apologies Upper Arlington for bringing my 12 year old African American son into your neighborhood to deliver the paper and make a few dollars on the side...NO HARM INTENDED 😕."
"I will make sure my boss changes his route.”
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