Country singer Coffey Anderson was met with criticism after posting a video with tips on how to act when pulled over by the police.
The Texas native, who was a contestant on “Nashville Star” and is also a motivational speaker, shared the four-minute video on Facebook Thursday in the wake of the shootings of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling at the hands of police.
“I wanted to take a few minutes to show you guys a proper protocol of what to do when you get pulled over,” he says in the video, which has been viewed 31 million times. “I’m gonna give you some simple things that are going to help it be a safer situation for both the police officer and for you as a civilian.”
“’Guys, listen. This is about going home. There is a big disconnect because at the end of the day it’s about stereotypes,” he adds.
While some thanked Anderson for making such a video in an attempt to do his part, he was also met with criticism for seemingly placing blame on the driver for what unfolds between him or her and the armed officer.
For his part, Anderson replied to many of the comments and acknowledged the feedback from his critics.
“My little video was made to help ease tension when pulled over, make the process streamlined, and show drivers how to get home,” he wrote to one commenter. “Sad part is that if a cop doesn’t respect you, we have to take it. I pray the bad apples are being removed from the force everyday. But until then, I wanted to have something that we could follow to just maybe save somebody. It’s just a drop of water on a larger fire but I’m going to keep trying.”
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