(Sept. 3, 2015) – Dwayne Bryant couldn’t believe his eyes when an Indiana State trooper ripped up a traffic ticket after catching Bryant going 85 mph in a 65 mph zone in northwest Indiana.
Bryant, a motivational speaker, said the state trooper pulled him over for speeding and cutting across three lanes of traffic on Sunday. He was on his way to a speaking engagement in Battle Creek, Mich., at the time.
Bryant, who’s African-American, first thought about Sandra Bland, who died in custody after being jailed in a traffic stop. Then he decided to practice what he preached to his students: he stayed calm and told the trooper where he was going.
The trooper took his license and came back with a citation for $150, telling Bryant he could’ve written him up for reckless driving for going so fast.
Bryant then told the trooper he was wrong for speeding and asked if he could take a picture so he could post about the experience and remind his students about the importance of being respectful and taking responsibility for your actions.
The trooper asked Bryant to give him back the ticket and then ripped it up. He told Bryant to stay put and came back with a warning instead.
“I sincerely believe, in MOST instances, it is OUR ATTITUDE, OUR BEHAVIOR, OUR RESPONSE that dictates the officer’s response,” Bryant wrote on Facebook.
Bryant, the president of Chicago-based Inner Vision International, described the encounter as emotional and said he was crying in his car after it happened.
Here’s the post Bryant wrote on Facebook:
JUST got pulled over by Indiana State Trooper!!
Ok, I’m sitting in my rental car with tears in my eyes! I have a BIG speaking engagement in Battle Creek Michigan tomorrow morning. I’m going to Lite up ALL the teachers in the Battle Creek School district.
So! I’m driving from Chicago to Battle Creek. I KNOW I was speeding, then, DAMMIT!!! Police officer had me in his radar. I pulled over…. He asked the Question, Do you know I stopped you. I asked, “was I speeding?”. He clocked me doing 85 in a 65. Then he said, you also crossed three lanes of traffic to pull over without signaling.
I thought… SH….!!! This is what happened to Chandra Bland!! I KNEW, I would determine the outcome!
I was calm, was respectful, told the officer WHO I was (showed him by my actions WHOSE I WAS) and what I was doing and where I was going. He took my license and said, ” sit tight.”
After about 5 min. He came back with a citation. He told me in Indiana, he coulda written me up for reckless driving because I was going over 20mph. Instead, he was only going to give me a $150 ticket.
I said, thank you officer, I know I was wrong by speeding. I appreciate your kindness you have shown me. (I was really sincere!… Straight from the heart). I asked him could I take a pic because I wanted to post this experience because I’m always talking to my students about THEIR responsibility when pulled over by Authority.
He asked me to give him back the ticket. I didn’t know what was about to happen, but I had NO fear during the entire encounter.
He tore up the ticket, told me to sit tight, then he brought back a WARNING instead of a ticket.
I am crying in my car, because God is SOOOO faithful! I sincerely believe, in MOST instances, it is OUR ATTITUDE, OUR BEHAVIOR, OUR RESPONSE that dictates the officers response.
There is so much more to say, but I gotta get back on the road!
#Smiling!
#Thankful
#GodIs
#Please ShareWithOurYouth!
