A Wisconsin politician was knocking on doors, canvassing the district she hopes to represent come November, when one the constituents called the police.
Sheila Stubbs was talking to a potential voter ahead of November's midterms when she noticed a squad car next to her vehicle, where her mother, Linda Hoskins, and her 8-year-old daughter were waiting, according The Capital Times.
"It's 2018," said Stubbs, a candidate for the 77th District in Wisconsin's State Assembly. "It shouldn't be strange that a black woman's knocking on your door. I didn't do anything to make myself stand out. I felt like they thought I didn't belong there."
According to a police report obtained by Buzzfeed News, the caller thought a drug deal was going down.
"Fully occupied silver four door sedan, newer model — thinks they are waiting for drugs at the local drug house — would like them moved along," read the dispatcher's notes. "Ongoing problem — drug house is [redacted] — says no one is at the drug house now — says this is common occurrence for [car] to sit around until someone shows up."
The officer called to the scene briefly talked to Stubbs and Hoskins before she left.
“Elder Hoskins did point out Sheila, who I observed speaking with a resident of a nearby home,” the officer noted. “I thanked Elder Hoskins for the information, and apologized for having had to interrupt her evening as a result of this call for service.”
Stubbs and Hoskins both gave the officer their phone numbers so they could brainstorm ways to connect with the community. The experience was traumatizing for Stubbs, and she says she stopped canvassing for the day after the officer left. She considers the evening “the hardest journey” of her life.
“It was just so degrading. It was humiliating. It was insulting,” Stubbs said. She pointed to the prevalence of police encounters ending in violence.
"It's just not okay. When you specifically target people of color and call the police, sometimes there's different outcomes,” the assemblywoman-hopeful said.
The incident happened in August, and since then, Stubbs went on to win the Democratic nomination for her district's seat. She'll be on the ballot in November, and said this incident has sparked determination in her, even if it has left an emotional scar.
“I’ve worked so hard. This is something I’ve always wanted,” she said. “I wasn’t going to allow someone to take that, but it puts a hole in your heart, and it takes so long to mend it.”
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