MALIK CHASE
Mitchell College basketball player said the goal is simple: reform. “We want to see changes.That’s why we’re doing what we’re doing at this point and time.”
M alik Chase, who will be a senior on the Mitchell College men's basketball team this winter, learned from his older brother what to do if pulled over by the police during a traffic stop. He's relied on Isaiah's advice on more than one occasion.
“I have had a few run-ins,” Chase said. “They'll pull me over at times for no reason. I might be going five miles over the speed limit on the highway and get pulled over when there's other cars speeding by me in the fast lane. Things like that.”
“... What I do when cops pull me over, I just make sure to try to give them no reason at all to feel like they're threatened. I make sure I turn on my interior light, keep my hands on the steering wheel. If they ask for my registration, I let them know that I'm reaching into my glove box.
“Just so that they never feel fearful about anything going on. It's something that you grew used to just to try to protect yourself even though you really shouldn't have to. My oldest brother, Isaiah, taught me just to do it just to make sure they never have a reason.”
Chase, 21, was born in Providence, graduated from Classical High School and now lives in the north end of the city.
Protests sparked by outrage over the death of George Floyd have been held in downtown Providence. There's was a 9 p.m. curfew until it was lifted on Saturday.
“I just found it really odd that Providence's curfew is much longer than anybody else (in the state),” Chase said. “It just ties into everything else that's been going on lately. It's worrisome just trying to make sure that you're home before nine because you never know what cops might try to do. They said it's for pedestrians — you're not supposed to be walking around, but you can be in your car — but you never know at this point any more.”
Chase has a big problem with the television news coverage of the protests. He believes it doesn't accurately portray what's been happening. From what he's seen on social media, peaceful protesters are trying to prevent troublemakers from doing the wrong thing. He's seen conflicting videos, showing police kneeling with protesters at times and throwing tear gas at them at other times.
“Luckily, a lot of people on Twitter have been exposing things that are happening much better than the news,” Chase said.
Chase is hopeful that the current racial climate will change for the better.
“Hopefully, that's the goal of it all — reform,” he said. “We want to see changes. That's why we're doing what we're doing at this point and time. The whole goal of it is for blacks to be treated equally and fairly and justly. There's a big problem with systematic racism in this country.
“Even though they said all men are created equal, they weren't pertaining to black people in that statement.”