As a father of two brown men, I totally understand the situation you presented. I lived through the 60s and 70s in New York City and then California in the mid-'80s and 90s. I've lived in urban and rural areas.

One thing I can say is that cops are just individuals regardless of geographical location. They are just people with individual personalities and biases.

Like you, I've been stopped a number of times in my life, both as a young man as well as in middle age.

You're meeting strangers for the first time, and they are armed. These strangers are about to ask you to do something.

This is the exact scenario of an armed robbery. How you react in either situation might determine the outcome.

I've been cuffed while going to work in LA and I've been helped by rural deputies when my truck lost its contents on the way home.

Each encounter has to be seen as a unique event without preconceived biases getting in the way.

This is the talk I've given to my kids' high school friends back in the day, who thought their more rural, conservative-leaning attitude shielded them from potential harm even though they were brown.

Every encounter is going to be different and how it ends will depend on the communication skills of both parties.