Before we start, just want to let you know there's a moment or two of strong language in the story.

Wait, you're listening to Radio Lab from WNYC.

Hey, I'm Chad. I'm Ron. This is Radio Lab. This week we want to share a story that really caught our attention.

It's a story told by this guy. My name is Brandon Obunu. I'm an assistant professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Brown University.

It's a story he told on stage for the podcast Story Collider, which is a live storytelling show. Huge thanks to them for letting us borrow this.

It's a story that you know touches on all the things that we're all thinking about right now.

Takes it into some new territory. Brandon started the story when he told it on stage with an incident that happened to him in college when he's living in DC.

Rule number one, when you see the lights at your back or in your eyes and they're unmistakable, stop moving.

Raise your hands slowly from their side. Five fingers extended so that they know that there's nothing in your hands.

Stop wait for instructions. You see, you have to think about the police report.

You don't want it to say that he lunged or he reached for something that looked like a weapon or the mysterious he made a menacing gesture.

I'm not carrying any weapons. That's rule number two. Use officer early and often. Why? You have to let them know that you know the power dynamic.

They got the badge and the gun. You. You were just born with the wrong set of physical traits.

Officer number one stood with the gun loaded pointed towards me. Ready to go. Ready to be a hero.

Officer number two approached. Are you carrying any drugs? Sir. Sir. I guess I respect that. No officer.

After a thorough search and I mean thorough. The interest turns to the concepts of my backpack. A black JAN sport that had some bag graffiti on the small pocket.

I was a senior at Howard University, a chemistry and mathematics major at the time. And like most people at that stage, my backpack told a lot about me.

They were some moldy potato chips. Back. Some sketch pads and some notepads. Copy a source magazine and a couple of mixed tapes. I mean real mixed tapes.

Not the stuff that you guys. And much, much more. Officer number two had to sift through the contents. And I heard all the ruffling.

Eventually officer to emerged with an object of interest and slammed it on the her the car and under the flashlight. It went.

Lennon Jernelson and Cox principles of biochemistry. Second edition.

Officer to. Was persistent. However, and raised the book and shook it out. Trying to find. The contraband. An officer to was successful.

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