Welcome to another episode of Civic Cipher as we broadcast from the Hip Hop Weekly Studios. I am your host, Ramses John he.
Is Ramses Joh, I am q Ward. That's important because people be reading my Instagram like I'm awkward, I'm quirk, I am.
Q or write it down, that's who I am. People need to say, people need to know.
And you're tuned in to Civic Cipher D.
You are a lot to stick around for today because there's a lot going on in the world. I'm gonna tell a story about something that happened to me recently. You know a lot of times folks think on this show that we kind of ride above the the sort of racism and the prejudice that we report on because wait of our platform.
Why on earth?
Because w anyone assumed that part. We're going to let them know that it happens to us. I had an incident happened with me just the other day, so I'll tell you all about it. Also, we're going to talk about this strange thing that's happening in the country where people are getting to decide who gets to live and who gets to die based on what they're afraid of. In that moment or what they hate in that moment. Yeah, that's that's fear as a y, that's as escape. You're
not wrong, you're not wrong. Cue. But of course people often hide behind fear. So we're going to talk about, indeed, the many high profile incidents of people who have lost their lives because somebody thought was their right to take a life. Oftentimes the victims end up being black and the perpetrators are not black. And then we're going to discuss the racist origins of the no trespassing sign, among others. So first and foremost, like we always do at this time,
we're gonna start with some Ebony excellence. You wanna take this one? Cures? Nope, all right, then I'll take this one. Today's Ebny Excellence is sponsored by Major Threads, and we're gonna shout out Seila avant Garde. She was born in two thousand and seventy and Harvey, Louisiana. By age thirteen, avant Garde got her first world record for the most bounces in one minute with three basketballs. I've seen the video. She's bouncing three basketballs and it's kind of like a
juggling patterns. Really dope. So She's got the Guinness World Record for that. Her second world record is for the most bounced juggles in one minute with four basketballs. And as if that weren't enough, her third world record was for the most basketball dribbled by one person simultaneously. And she also is a talented unicycle rider and in twenty eighteen, she was featured in an under Armor commercial way the NBA star Steph Curry, and has performed with basketball legends
the Harlem Lobe Trotters. Now that would be enough for any measure of Emny excellence, but we're gonna take it a step further. This is somebody we didn't get to talk about on the show, and so we're happy that we get to do it today. I'll tell the story. On July eighth, twenty twenty one, she became the first African American to win the scripts National Spelling Bee in the ninety six year history of the event. The win came of the trophy and over fifty thousand dollars in
cash and prizes. Avant Garde won the championship with the word Maria. Mariah ever heard this word before, but it was defined as a type of tropical plant and The only previous black person to win the Spelling Bee was a twelve year old Jodi and Maxwell of Jamaica in ninety eight. So she was a Jamaican, not an African American, but back to a mont guard. When she grows up, she won to be an archaeologist, a w NBA player, and to work with NASA. So shout out to you.
Sounds like she's on her way to doing all all right.
Moving on, So, as I mentioned, I had a run in with the fuzz the other day. And for folks that don't have for folks that don't walk the path of a of a black person or a brown person, or a marginalized person, you might not be able to really understand what discrimination looks like and how insulting and out how dehumanizing it can be. You might not walk around with a certain a fear. Fear might be too strong a word what a constant companion will call concern
or yourself relative to your surroundings. You might not carry that with you the way that someone like me, someone like you would carry it with us. So I will give you some insight and something that happened. This was probably six days ago as of this episode. Now, let me back up a bit. A few weeks ago, I went and bought some little BMX bikes. Right, my little boy is big enough to ride a bike now, and
so we've been enjoying our neighborhood riding bikes around. And I bought two of them, so I have a BMX bike too. Now I'm an adult man. My son is eight years old, but I used to ride BMX bikes when I was younger. That's the bike I'm comfortable riding, and that's the one I got. We got some gts for those of you familiar with those old school bikes, and we got the good ones because we're doing a little a little bit better these days than we were back in the nineties when we had to ride them huffies.
So really exciting time riding around the neighborhood with my son. Just kind of enjoying this time together. He asked us questions. We ride around, listen to music and just enjoy the weather and enjoy each other's company, and we share. We have more than just the two bikes, so we'll share. We have other people come over and ride bikes with us from time to time as well. Well. There is a neighborhood near my house where I'm looking to make
a purchase. I've been on tours and a couple of the homes, and I have relationships with the people in the community, of course, but also with the realtors, so forth and so on, And this neighborhood is quite a fluent It needs to be stated because I don't want to misrepresent what happened here. So the night of this incident, I was hanging out with a friend of mine, and she and I decided that we would go for a bike ride. This is my new thing. I invite everybody
to ride bikes. Q is probably the only person who hasn't jumped on a bike with me, but everybody else has got to get on these bikes and ride around this neighborhood. Man. Now, I want to be clear. My neighborhood is different from this neighborhood. We rode the bikes too, but it's close enough for a bike ride, so very close neighborhoods. But I would say a definitive step step up in terms of how affluent the neighborhood is. I don't live in a bad neighborhood at all, but this
neighborhood is just different. Okay, this neighborhood is called the Builtmore those who are familiar with the lay of the land here in Phoenix, But the Biltmore is kind of this affluent neighborhood that I was talking about. I don't live very far from there, just down the street. So this night, my friend comes over and we're hanging out, we're talking, and we decided to go for a bike ride. And it's night. You know, in arizona's very hot in the daytime, so you want to wait until the sun
goes down just because it's cooler. I'm not getting dressed up to ride this bike. No one would because we're not going to see anyone. We're not going to do anything nothing like that. We're just going to get on comfortable clothes and ride the bikes. And while riding, I suggested to my friend, Hey, do you want to check out this house that I'm thinking of purchasing. Just did a tour there the other day, and I'm thinking that
this might come together. Just waiting on a couple of things to pan out and see what, you know, the sellers are trying to do. But you know, I'm absolutely in talks for making this purchase. So she says, yeah, let's go check it out. So I want to paint a picture for an outsider looking in. After I paint this picture of me, me Ramses on a bike and a T shirt and some shorts at night, a BMX bike,
mind you, riding around the neighborhood in Arizona. So harmless, nothing to see here, just a man enjoying a bike with a friend or by myself. But this evening I was with a friend. This friend was not black. Now, to an outsider looking in, I know this. This is a part of that constant companion. I know that I probably look like a drug person or I'm on drugs or selling drugs or you know. I mean, it just doesn't look This isn't the sort of thing that people
see and are entirely comfortable with. Right, So I'm mindful of this. It's that constant commanding. I'm aware of that. Now it hasn't affected me, but I'm aware. It's impossible to be black and not be extremely self aware. And this is my estimation. Because I've lived this life for forty years. I know what it means to be black in this country. And something as simple as riding a bike, something as simple as existing in the wrong place at
the wrong time, it would be a death sentence. This is what we cover on the show quite a bit. So I recognize that a bike looks youthful, and youth and black and male often looks like trouble. And if I'm not dressed a certain way, I'm not wearing my Rolex, I'm not driving my Corvette or Mercedes or any of this sort of stuff. I'm just riding a bike. It looks very different to people who have been taught to
fear that combination of features manifest in one person. Okay, but I have something else on my side, and that is I know the people in the neighborhood. A couple of them own business partners with right, I'm in this neighborhood four or five times a week, have been for some time, and feel very comfortable having established myself over time in this neighborhood. People come up to me and say, hey,
nice car, I love your hair, you know whatever. And you know, for those who know me, I'm like, I have a bunch of tattoos and all this sort of stuff. So these people, I've managed to ingratiate myself, if you will, to these folks who live here, so I know who I am. But I also know that these folks, if they see me, there's nothing to fear, right, they know
who I am too. Oh, there's nothing wrong with riding the bikes over there, checking out the house just as a destination to enjoy the bike ride, and that's exactly what we do. The thing is turning into the Biltmore. There is a police car there, and I clocked that police car immediately, because that's what you do. But I also, in the amount of time that I've ingratiated myself with the folks that live there, I also know the police
officers that are there during the daytime. Funny, I know, because this is rams this was always very critical of the police. But I've actually talked about both officers before, Suzanne and Daniel kind people, and I use them in another person. I don't want to say his name, but his last name, but Kevin, who is a now a Queen Greek police officer. I use them to ensure that I'm being fair when describing how policing should be done
and referencing the system of policing, not the individuals. Okay, So the two police that are there and during the daytime. I know them very well. In addition to the mailman, and you know the people that do the caddies since the golf course as well, or our non black listeners.
That mental inventory that Ramses has giving you right now, the names of the police officers, the mailman, the relationships with the neighbors and the people that live in this neighborhood in this community.
That is normal for us.
The noticing of the police officer that's here that uh oh, I don't know that one, yep.
That is normal for us.
Not just when you go to a neighborhood where you might buy a house, but if you're going to the gas station, or to your kids' school, or to the store or anywhere that's not home. Every time you see a police car, there is a mental inventory, a snapshot and kind of a checklist in your head. Is my seatbelt fast? Was I driving too fast? Did I signal when I got over? Did I come to a complete stop at that stop sign? Did I drive through that intersection while getting over?
Like anything?
That Because there's all these stuff that you don't know that you can be sighted and pulled over for that all of us do every day.
I'll believe so it's.
Just to the discretion of said officer if they feel like making your day hard that thank you every day, thank you, and for us as normal, it's more times than not they got time today.
So watch this. I'm glad you said that. So we ride into the neighborhood on these BMX bikes. It's nighttime. It's not super late, but it's nighttime. Let's call it eight o'clock, nine o'clock at night on the way in. What this. So a friend of mine that lives in the boil her name is Cheryl. Her husband's name is Ira. Ira. They're very wealthy people. They both have rolls races, and IRA's rolls races very interesting color combination. It's a metallic
blue and gold. So I saw IRA's car as I'm riding bikes into the to the Billbore, and I waved to him and just kept riding. Got inside and police officers sitting there. Just rode right past them because I'm assuming I'm not doing anything wrong, not harming anybody. And we didn't stop. We just rode. It's like a circle, so you just ride around, rode around about a two mile lap. Pointed out the house that I was looking at and we're just talking and riding. Rode back out.
Now we're about three quarters of the way through, and then I see that same police officer ride. Now he's driving. He drives the opposite direction of where I'm coming. So I came in an entrance and it takes you into a circle and then let you back out at the same entrance. Right, So I'm about three quarters away through the circle going around, and he's driving the opposite direction. So he kind of prisscrossed right and he said, you guys need to make your way to the front. And
I thought to myself, hmm, that's not right. And I thought to myself, who would I be if I did not step up in this moment? Expound? Would I be a coward? Would I be a person who has allowed my fear of this officer to cause me to tuck my tail and run? Or can I stand on the accomplishments of my life. Can I stand and say to this man, I belong here, I'm actively working with business
partners in this neighborhood. I'm welcome at any number of these homes after so long, and in fact, I'm engaged in the process of purchasing one of these homes myself.
The sad truth is if your name was Grayson and not Ramses, no, you probably don't need to stand up in this moment for what. Just ride the back the bike, back out and come home. And what are we talking about? This is not to take a stance moment, so to ride the bike night. Yeah, you're no.
So this is this is absolutely is what my friend who was riding with me was trying to say. But here's the thing. It's incredibly embarrassing and incredibly dehumanizing when you've talked and you've painted this picture and you have this exciting thing on the frontier of your life and you're trying to share it with somebody show you know whatever, and then someone who doesn't know anything about you other than you're riding a bike at night and you have
an afro. I have an afro for the folks that can't see me is using their modicum of authority in that moment to expel you from this neighborhood. It's a fluent neighborhood. So I took it upon myself to introduce myself to this officer. So I went back to the front where I saw the officer initially, and I sat there and I waited, and eventually the officer rode back around, and I waved to the officer, this is my way of saying, hey, come talk to me. It's we should
probably know each other. I know, and I said this when officer pulled back around, because I know the other officers here. I'm bringing my children here, and I don't want any sort of prejudices to work their way into your decisions as you patrol this neighborhood. This is what I was thinking in that moment. I know this is dangerous. I do not recommend to anyone else.
But listen to me. Pointing out you don't want these prejudices to make their way into the decision making processes of said officers not only increases the chances that they will, but even causes some of them, in order to prove to you that they don't have such prejudices, to become more confrontational with you. So, so if his name was Grayson and not ramses that you can go see their house tomorrow in the daytime, when the cops that you know will be patrolling the neighbors those that don't know.
It'll be a way safer time for you.
For those that don't know, Grayson is the name of Q's Sun. So we raise our we tell our children, do as I say, not as I do. To your dad's well to continue. I stayed still waiting for the officer to loop back around because I knew he wouldn't. And then my friend, she was on her bike, and she just kind of parked off to the side, and I had a little rubber band thing around my phone. It was playing music, so I tried to turn the music off as the officer was pulling up, and then
I realized that probably looks suspicious. These are things that may not go through other people's head. But I was like, that probably looks suspicious. Let me just turn the volume down and keep both hands on the handlebars so he doesn't think i'm you know, even though he got all them bright lights on me. Okay, So he hops out of his car and the first thing he.
Says is, hey, this is a private property, so you guys can't be here, And so I said, well, sir, I want you to know that.
I know a couple of your colleagues that work at your same precinct. I mentioned Susanna, I mentioned David, I mentioned my business partners. I mentioned that I'm here all the time, and in fact, I'm putting an offer on one of the houses here, and he says, well, that doesn't matter. This is private property. So they tried to double down on that. So I says, well, if this is private property and you're a public servant, and are you being paid to be here and indeed off duty
or is this indeed public property? And he says, well, that's not the reason that I pulled you over. I waited for you. But he says this, He says, the reason I pulled you over is because your bike doesn't have a headlight.
So if his name was Grayson and not Rams, he's not sitting there being told why he was pulled over, when indeed he wasn't because he just went home and came back tomorrow in the daytime when the officers that he know would be present and it would be way less dangerous and way less likely that something stupid would happen. But his name is not Grace and his name is Ramses. And the story continues.
So the officer I took the same rubber band that was holding my phone listening to music, and I turned the light on my phone. I was like, okay, there you go, and he's like, huh, give me your ID. I was like, okay, took my ID out. I gave it to him. And while he's looking at ID, my id's a little beat up. So he had to desern, like figure out what it said if his name was Grayson and not ramses this thing that he calls an ID, because it's not that anymore. It's just whatever material that
it's made out of. It's just that last in paper or whatever.
It's just that it is no longer a suitable form of identification.
So it's terrible. So watch this. So my question is, okay, so if this is indeed private property, do you need a light to write on private property? Or do you need a light to write on public property? And he started to get frustrated because I'm catching him up in these stories and he kept trying to pivot and switch this is private property, Oh it's your light. Oh well, if it's private property, you don't need a light. You know,
the sorts of thing. And the fact is that I wanted to introduce myself and I did, said I want you to know who I am because there's a very good chance, I'm gonna end up living in this house right here, next to the person who's just running for Attorney General. Rodney Glassman was also a friend of mine, you know, and he's a publican. He's always been kind to me, and it's important that you know who I am and who my children are because we're going to
be living here soon. And then he took my license and he came back and he said, all right, well you're good. I said, oh, I know. And then he asked me what I was doing for work, and I said, I do what I want and then answer, you can google me, dude. And then as I was riding away, I realized he never carded the lady that I was with at all. And that's what it's like to be black.
So shout out to officer Am your name, and I guess you know who else he did in cart Grayson because Grayson was at home with his dad, not looking for a police officer to have a confrontation with.