Contesting a traffic stop leads to justice – and mercy

This was not the first time the flashing lights of an officer of the law had appeared in my rearview mirror. But it was the first time I refused the invitation to pull over. It was one of those split-second decisions that people like me have to make whenever we engage with law enforcement officers. My encounter, thankfully, didn’t reach the fatal threshold of a Darrius Stewart, Philando Castile, or Marcellis Stinnette. But people like me live with a constant fear that the potential is there.

Once I left the scene of the incident, I could have just paid the $164 fine or taken the four-hour, $49 traffic safety class and been done with it. But for