Letter: ‘I was terrorized on my way home’

I am a public health student and currently finishing up a pre-med program outside of Los Angeles.  I am also an Iraq-war veteran and have seen first hand the level of racism and destruction of imperialist war.  Over the last six years I have become close friends with a Progressive Labor Party (PLP) member and his family and have supported communist actions and events including events of families who have lost their loved ones to racist police violence.
As a Black man growing up in Detroit, serving in the military, working as a Metro worker and as a student, I have long hated racism and police terror and this was once again reinforced when I became a victim of such terror on my return home from campus.  
No explanation, then a racist interrogation
It was around 6 PM, and I just left my school campus on the Omnitrans train. It was a normal evening until I noticed that the train came to an abrupt stop.  We hadn’t moved for about 25 minutes. I went downstairs to the first level and asked another passenger what was going on.  She mentioned that the train was stopped by the police.  
Suddenly, a voice came over the loudspeaker that directed all passengers to exit from the rear of the train in single file.  As I found the door to exit, I walked toward a sheriff and voiced my concern regarding why we were stopped. The sheriff requested to see my ID. After showing them my ID, I was instructed to wait in the parking lot with the rest of the passengers until further instructions.
 After waiting in the parking lot for another 30 minutes or so it began to get cool outside.  At that time about 15 sheriffs were walking in my direction and towards me.  I was then asked again to show my ID.  I questioned them, why.  I had already shown them my ID.   The sergeant said that they got a call that there was “a killer” aboard the train that was about 5’ 10, 240 pounds, 40 yrs. old, wearing a gray sweatshirt.  
They then started a terrorizing interrogation process, with multiple sheriffs shooting questions at me at the same time.  This whole process was frightening and I was already cold, nervous and agitated and the whole time another sheriff had a loaded shotgun pointed toward my head! These KKKops then had the nerve to command me to calm down.  
Not only was I afraid for my life, but I kept thinking to myself “how the hell do you calm down being terrorized like this” on top you accusing me of “fitting the description” of a purported killer on the train!
 Capitalism means daily racist terror
It wasn’t until later that night that I learned about the mass shooter incident in Brooklyn in which Frank James, for unclear reasons, opened fire on a train, injuring 10 workers. Without a doubt, the daily racist bombardment of capitalism on workers’ lives is creating untold mental health crises in our class.  This is not to condone the actions of Frank James, but to point out that it’s a byproduct of this racist capitalist system.  
Who knows how many Black workers were terrorized on trains across the country because they “fit the description?”
 For nearly two years I have been a supporter of the family of Alex Flores and others who have been killed by KKKops in LA.  This experience has also taught me what our sisters and brothers must go through especially when they’re terrified or in a mental health crisis when the police roll up on them!  
I am grateful for the support, camaraderie as well as the ideas and fightback of Progressive Labor Party in helping me grapple with this experience as well as understanding how capitalism impacts us on a daily basis.