I was riding the NYC subway on Saturday. Pretty loud, it was a commuter train. We made a stop at 168th street.

Two police officers got on the train.

The entire atmosphere changed. Suddenly, everyone’s quiet. I notice that a Black guy sitting across from me, shifted seats away from the officers and deliberately turned his head away from them. His hands were shaking. Most of the people in the car nervously darted eyes at each other. A Hispanic woman widened her eyes at me when she saw that one of the police officers had his hand on his gun. We all held our breath.

Finally they got off at 59th street.

This is the reality of the relationship between NYC police and ethnic minorities. They see all of us as immediately suspicious. We don’t see them as enforcers of anything but fear.

You know what said the most? The only people who weren’t nervous were a white mother and child, who were happily singing and playing while the rest of us squirmed in discomfort.

The disparity in the experiences of New Yorkers riding the subway based on skin color and facial features amazes me.