Not only that, police do not have unilaerla rights to request information or action from you without any specific cause or intention. Sorry but the police are not gestapo walking the streets able to stop anyone (remember stop and frisk) or demand papers or even escalate a minor infraction (there is no benefit to the job wasting resources going after minor infractions while ignoring bigger crimes). So they do NOT always get the benefit of the doubt because the criminal system is set up that way. Cops do not get to force you to do something and them immediately claim resisting arrest when you say no. sorry it does not work that way. Since when did cops get this absolute grant of power above the Constitution? Let me see your license! Why? Resisting! I am arresting you! Citizens stop handing over papers on demand after WWII.
Look at your first sentence.. I wonder if this is true or urban legend.... your first thought is to wonder if I am making this up or if Black people are making this up. Do me a favor, talk to as many Black people as you can from different cities and ask them their experience if it is urban legend. That is what gets a knee jerk reaction because when friends (Black and dressed to play hoops so not looking all spiffy) waiting for me outside my brownstone said a cop rolled by and told them to move along please I was like No way that cannot be true. Then it happened a few more times and I realzied my doubt was insulting to their experience as though they would lie and no way it could happen. Once is more than enough but it happens with enough frequency to be bad and when you have 10 bad cops in a 1000 and the other 990 look the other way, then it presents a problem for all the good ones as well. Chauvin killed Floyd but what where the other 3 doing? I believe a high high % of cops are good. But a significant amount are bad in racial situations or have anger and authority issues and the other cops know it and do nothing. So if they want to say "HEY WE ARE NOT ALL LIKE THAT!" but stand by while one murders someone and would have gotten away with it if there was no video... Then let the accusations sting the good ones a little to speak up and assume responsibility to help rid the few bad apples that are ruining it for the rest of them. I often hear the cries why don't the Blacks speak up about the Black on Black crimes and Black criminals creating negative stereotypes. Agreed.....same for the cops. You dont want a few bad ones making you all look bad then stop hiding behind the union and "following orders" and do something from within so you control the narrative.
I think what you are arguing is Probable Cause. Police need to have this to stop or detain you. In the case of the Amazon guy, probable cause is him parking on the wrong side of the wrong. That allows him to ask for a driver's license. Still, even if the officer didn't have probable cause to request ID, you're really rolling the dice if you choose that moment to disobey and make a stand. I'd advise against it. Most cops will follow the law, some won't.
I believe what he is also saying, (and if I'm wrong, it's what I'm saying) is that whether or not probable cause is present, the police still have the option, legally or not, to engage or not engage. The premise is that: if police decide to engage Blacks to a greater degree than Whites, then the arrest/conviction/killing statistics will be skewed against Blacks. Folks like @d08 , though intelligent-seeming in many other areas, can't seem to wrap his brain around this concept.
Guys, this is a good thread so please stay on topic. As OP requested: "None of these examples will actually show any racism - at least not as any normal or sane individual would classify racism. The reason I won't show when real racism is stamped out is because real racism should be stomped out. No one here could rightly argue it should not be." For repeatedly ignoring OP's request Spike Trader is taking a few weeks off from this thread.
It would be interesting if we could see statistics on both white and non-white or black police engaging blacks, side by side. I don't know if such statistics exist. But you believe the police have an option to engage? In some cases, that is their job. I mean, no one is holding a gun to their head (no pun intended) but they are quite obliged to engage.