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Black man left humiliated as Michigan cops stopped him for 20 minutes after white woman claimed he was staring at her

Devin Myers was stopped in Royal Oak on August 13 after a woman said he was staring at her and it was ‘making her feel not very comfortable at all’
PUBLISHED AUG 17, 2019

DETROIT, MICHIGAN:   A black man was stopped for almost 20 minutes by Michigan Police and asked for ID after being reported by a white woman for "looking at her suspiciously" on Tuesday, August 13.

Devin Myers was stopped in Royal Oak on Tuesday evening as the woman said he "just staring at me” and “it’s … making me feel not very comfortable at all",  the New York Post reported.

The woman said that she just left a cafe when the man "came up right behind me as I was getting into my vehicle."

According to dashcam audio released by the police, a cop pulled up near the woman's vehicle and asked her to point out the man.

Myers, on being stopped, termed the situation "ridiculous" and denied the woman's charges. 

The officer told Myers that he was "prolonging" the matter by not cooperating.

The recording also saw Myers insist: "But I didn’t commit a crime".

The entire incident was also live-streamed on Facebook by Kimiko Adolph, a bystander, who criticized the response of the police.

"I’m not from around here but I want to feel safe when I come out here … if I look at somebody of a different color that they don’t pull up on me," Adolph said, in the clip.

Myers said he was humiliated by the incident. He explained he was waiting for a friend in his car outside the Inn Seasons Cafe when a woman called police on him. 

"I never would have thought racism was amongst the urban city. I have tons of white neighbors, and they all like me. So, I never paid racism too much attention," he said, according to News 5 Cleveland.

Police Chief, Corrigan O’Donohue later issued a statement apologizing for the incident involving Probationary Officer, Michael Pilcher saying he had no right to request Myers' ID.

"What should have been a very short encounter was extended when the officer-involved insisted on getting Mr. Myers’ identification," the statement read.

The Chief also added that Pilcher should have simply advised Myers about the cops response and allowed him to leave. 

"This officer will be provided with remedial training to address the issue," he said while adding that Pilcher had acknowledged his mistake. 

"A police supervisor was called to the scene at Myers’ request," O’Donohue added. 

Royal Oak Mayor, Michael Fournier, in a press release put out on Wednesday said officials are reviewing the incident.

"We are passionate about being a city that lives and acts according to our values and one where all people from all walks of life, from all racial and ethnic backgrounds, feel not just safe, but welcome and embraced as members of our community," he said.

"The responding supervisor did not handle this situation in a manner I expect Royal Oak supervisors to conduct themselves," he said in the press release.

Fournier also addressed the incident on Facebook. "We absolutely recognize that racial bias exists and we as a community aspire to be among those working every day to combat it," he said.

"But, this is not just the work of our officers and public officials alone, but all of us, individually and as a community must put in the effort to recognize and come to terms with our own personal prejudices and biases."

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