When NWA wrote “F*ck the Police” in the late 1980s, they were heavily criticized. At the time, the police brutality that they spoke of was a racial boogeyman that remained hidden due to the high cost of home video cameras. Rodney King changed all that, and it let America know that the relationship between Black men and the police usually left us at the short end of the baton.
I am not an attorney. I am just a scholar and a Black man who cares about what happens when my brothers interact with that peculiar street gang otherwise known as the police. Sometimes, the cops are here to protect us, but other time, they are here to protect everyone else from us.
Therefore, interacting with police in a way that keeps us from losing our lives is absolutely critical.
Please note that this is not a substitute for legal advice. I recommend that you speak to an attorney to get a more complete understanding of how to handle situations like this one.  But my Facebook friends, some of whom have solid legal backgrounds, helped me to compile this list of things you should keep in mind when dealing with the police.  Think about these issues carefully, for it might save your life:
1) Be respectful, don’t speak first, and don’t speak with hostility: Getting smart with the cops doesn’t make things better. For at least a short period of time, they have all the power, and you have none. Settle your beef later on, when it’s safe.  Also, you’re probably better off not volunteering any information, since many questions are designed to trap you into giving yourself up.
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