J.D. Williams of ‘The Wire’ Says Stop-and-Frisk Cops Forget He’s Not a Real Drug Dealer Onscreen, J.D. Williams shot and killed a 16-year-old whose loyalty to a local drug ring was suspect. In real life, he’s an actor from New Jersey who commutes to New York for auditions, and like many other young black men in the city, is often stopped and frisked by police. In the case of the very recognizable actor, however, cops often approach him because they think they recognize him from a previous arrest. </noscript> Williams, who played Barksdale soldier Preston “Bodie” Broadus on HBO’s The Wire from 2002 to 2008, held a Trayvon Martin poster at a silent march against NYC’s stop-and-frisk policy on Sunday. In an interview with Capital New York, he said, You see, it’s a double-edged sword because I might get recognized, but they’re not sure where they know me from. So a lot of times, an officer might think that he’s arrested me before, but usually by the time that they walk up on me, it comes to them. They’re like, “Oh, I thought …” So, it kind of gets me noticed because they’re not sure, and … a little time goes by and they finally realize who I am. Black men, we get judged just from appearance. That’s why we have pictures of Trayvon, Sean Bell and Amadou Diallo. … There’s a very real possibility that I will always be stopped and frisked. I’m from New Jersey and we don’t necessarily have this kind of policy, but we have similar racial profiling practices so, you know, a stand up here is a stand for anywhere else. [Raw Story] SEE MORE: • Stop Everything and Watch ‘The Wire: The Musical’ Right Now • Is This What Bubbles Called the “Dope Fiend Lean”? • Baltimore Police Commissioner Blasts ‘The Wire’ • The Latest Sly Reference to ‘The Wire’ Comes Courtesy of ‘iCarly’ Follow us! Click and Follow Us for more updates straight to your news and nonsense feeds.
Jordan Pedersen 18.06.12 @ 5:19 pm Game is rigged, man. We like them little bitches on the chessboard.
Stein Cooper 19.06.12 @ 11:10 am I hate when black people toss the race card out like this. The only reason he is being approached is because they think they know him from a previous arrest. If he wasn’t famous, he wouldn’t have been approached. Period. If anyone is approached, it’s because of how they look and carry themselves, not the color of their skin. It’s time to stop hiding behind your color as a touch proof shield.
Shannon 19.06.12 @ 11:26 am No, but you’re missing the point. I think he’s arguing that if he was a white actor, for example, cops would recognize him but not immediately assume it was because of a previous arrest.
Justin Alexandre Batten 21.06.12 @ 3:26 am until uve been black and directly experienced racial profiling, please shut the fuck up. thanks.