When I tried to think of an exciting or controversial incident with law enforcement, nothing prominent came to mind. I do remember a rather odd incident from when I was about seven years old when my family still lived in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. From what I remember, it was evening time and my father was working the night shift. My siblings and I were at home with my mother doing homework when we heard a knock. It was the NYPD, and they were asking for a specific individual, whose name my mother did not recognize, nor could she remember when I asked her about this incident year later. She conveyed her confusion to the police with her limited communication skills. The officers asked if my mother was telling the truth, and asked if they could search just to be sure. The way my mother describes it, the officers were stern but polite, doing their best to not scare me and my siblings. The officers checked the rooms and once they were done they were on their way. Having immigrated quite recently, my family was uncertain of the rights that we were afforded. The officers did not present a warrant, and my mother did not ask for them to present one. This situation left my mother petrified. According to her, no clear explanation was given of why they were looking for this individual. Maybe a reason was given and was simply misunderstood. I wouldn’t view this encounter as either negative or positive, rather, it is reflective of the confusion that both my family and the country were facing after the September 11th attacks.
