Comedian Mike Epps is the latest name to join the growing list of celebrities who have come forward with their personal experiences with law enforcement.
“It’s rough out here. It’s tough for us brothers out here in the streets with the police situation,” he said in a recent interview with The Huffington Post. “I think everybody needs to write a letter to the government, to the White House, to the justice system -- because it’s not fair."
Like Chris Rock, who earlier this year posted photos to Instagram after being pulled over by police on three separate occasions over the span of weeks, Epps says he has had experience with the police both before and after he became famous.
“It’s just a black man thing. You just go to jail. I don’t know too many brothers who ain’t never been – even if it wasn’t for nothing like paying a ticket – but it’s very scary. It’s like, man, the police is the boogie man for us.” Indeed, Epps tweeted his mugshot from an arrest when he was 17 (he was wanted for an alleged assault last year).
According to a 2014 report by Crime & Delinquency, 30 percent of black males have been arrested by age 18, with nearly half of black males (49 percent) being arrested by age 23.
Epps does have some perhaps tongue-in-cheek advice for dealing with police. “Start praying. As soon as they approach you just start saying ‘Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,’ they might let you go.”
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