Neo-soul icon Erykah Badu was pulled over on New Year’s Eve by the Dallas Police Department. As the officer approached her window, Badu asked the reason for the stop. That’s when it got weird. The officer didn’t name a traffic violation such as a broken taillight, suspicion of intoxication or anything else, she says. The officer (who is a Black man) tells Badu that he just wanted to say, “hi.”

Badu posted the incident on her Instagram account, and while she seemed to take it in stride, some commenters did not appreciate the fact that these officers went out of their way to harass a citizen for a greeting.

Certainly, I can think of better things that an officer of the law can be doing other than using his power and position to coerce a private citizen into a “hi.” Certainly, I can think of better things that an officer of the law can be doing on New Year’s Eve instead of harassing a celebrity (who can often be seen in public in Dallas, with no security).

But perhaps the best thing he can do now would be to turn in his badge, his gun and commit himself to involving himself in his community. That’s certainly better than harassing a citizen who was in all likelihood minding her Black ass business on a Sunday night.

Badu’s video can be found here:

WTF BABYLON !! HAPPY NEW YEAERZZZZ!

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