Dear Mr. Unitas,
I am a 28-year-old, professional, Korean-American woman who feels she has been discriminated against by a traffic safety officer. T his is after 12 years of working/commuting in Baltimore City, without incident.
I regret to inform you that I had a very unpleasant experience with Officer Wilkens, a crossing guard/traffic enforcement officer on the afternoon of December 2, 2009 at 12:45PM at the intersection of Baltimore Street and Calvert Street. I was told that you would be able to help me and address my concerns regarding this matter.
I was walking westbound on Baltimore Street (on the right side) and was crossing over Calvert Street to continue walking westbound on Baltimore Street. While I was in the middle of the intersection, the crosswalk light changed from the white "WALK" icon to the flashing red “STOP” icon. As this happened and while I was in the middle of the intersection, the traffic officer at that intersection pointed directly at me and yelled "Don't you understand?! That means stop walking!!!" I believed that she was telling me to hasten my pace to get out of the intersection, but as I continued to walk, she again yelled and whistled at me, telling me to stop where I was. Other people walking within the same walkway continued on while I was stopped by Officer Wilkens. She ordered me stop (alone) in the middle of the intersection, in the street, while the traffic facing me (moving eastbound on Baltimore Street) made left turns on red, and crossed my path (some cars swerved to avoid hitting me). As I stood in the middle of the street, the flashing red "STOP" hand changed to a solid red "STOP" hand. She motioned for the traffic on Calvert Street to proceed and I scrambled to get out of the intersection and out of the way of traffic approaching from Calvert Street.
I left the intersection feeling that being made to stand in the middle of the intersection was not only very dangerous but extremely humiliating as the whistling/yelling caught attention of people passing by. I finished my quick dash to the bank and when I crossed through that intersection again, I politely asked the officer (verbatim), “Excuse me Officer, Doesn’t a flashing red signal, while a person is in the middle of a crosswalk, serve as warning sign to finish crossing? I didn’t think it meant for that person to stop in the middle of the intersection. Please let me know if I’m wrong.” The traffic guard told me very rudely, “Don’t you tell me how to do my job!” I told her that I was asking for future reference – maybe my knowledge was wrong and she could clarify/correct me. She again said I was "telling her how to do her job" and that I "didn’t know what I was talking about". I reiterate the fact that I was polite and calm the entire time I spoke with her – no accusations, no pointing fingers. I, myself was willing to accept the blame for any traffic signal ignorance! (I cross the same intersection every day usually en route to my company’s bank and I did not want to commit this type of faux pas again.)
Matters were aggravated when she muttered a racial slur under her breath while I stood there (something along the lines of ‘chink.’) This gave me no choice but to ask for her name, which she readily declared as "Officer Wilkens". She then started joking with a passerby about me “not understanding things” while I was standing right next to her.
I was adopted from Korea when I was 11 months old by a Caucasian couple. While I (sadly) do not speak my native language, Korean, I have excelled in subjects such as English and Literature throughout my elementary, middle, high school and college "career". It is very offensive to me that Officer Wilkens felt that she could be so rude and disrespectful to me today. I'm not sure if she believed that I did not understand what she was saying or if she was under the impression that what she was saying was acceptable. While I am used to the occasional joke, chuckle or inappropriate comment regarding my race, this is the most blatant act of racism I have ever witnessed towards me!
I have been in and around Baltimore City all of my life and this situation changed how I view this great city. As we struggle to control crime and attract tourism, I worry about how situations like mine may affect people visiting from other towns, states, and countries. I am saddened very much by these events. On a daily basis, I work with the Baltimore City Police Department, the Department of General Services, the Planning Department and other factions of the city without incident. I have had very good experiences with all of Baltimore City’s personnel, but this situation has very much soured my view of the city.
Police officers are trained "To Protect and To Serve," but I don't feel like I was protected while standing in the middle of a busy intersection in lunch-hour traffic. I don't feel that anything positive was accomplished by me being publicly ridiculed in front of others while trying to cross the street.
I apologize for the lengthy complaint, but I do not want anyone else to have to experience such a negative event. I am incredibly hurt and angry about this situation. I would appreciate immediate feedback from you.
Thank you very much for your time and you assistance with this matter.
