Reports by Tara Granahan and Laura Clarizio
After Dana Harris, Jr. posted online his cellphone video, “Got Pulled Over For My Air Fresheners” on Aug. 23, he tells WPRO’s Tara Granahan exclusively he’s received hundreds of thousands of responses – both positive and negative. In his first on air interview, Harris said he was pulled over for no reason, other than being black. “I wanted to know the reason why I was pulled over, and he ignored me multiple times.”
As first reported in the Providence Journal, Harris documented the exchange which started after he was stopped in Mount Hope one afternoon, and he immediately started to record with his opening line: “What’s the problem, big dude? .
On the videotape, Harris asks:
“You seen me come out of my driveway. What did I do wrong?”
“License and registration, sir,” the officer says.
“I have a cousin who’s a Providence police officer for 23 years. What’s the problem? … I’m tired of this. I’m not a gangster. I’m not a thug.”
“Insurance?”
The 24-year old Harris hands his insurance card. “I have the bill of sale and everything. I own this car. What’s the problem?”
The officer responded, “You can’t have this obstructing your view.”
“Come on, are you serious?”
“Yeah, I’m serious, you can’t have that there.”
“Air fresheners? … That’s the reason you pulled me over?”
“Yup,” the officer says. .
“You’re bored, I can tell you’re bored,” Harris says. “Have a good day, man.”
When asked by Granahan why he addressed Providence police patrolman Brian Murphy as “big dude”, Harris said he doesn’t regret his tone. “I think my attitude was correct, I think I wasn’t being rude about it… that’s just how I talk in person, that’s just how I am.”
Harris says even though he’s already met with police officials and was never given a ticket, he plans to take his video encounter as far as he can, “worldwide” even. “As a police officer, they’re supposed to protect and serve, not harass.”
On air Harris admitted to Granahan police had a warrant out for his step brother for allegedly breaking and entering. The Officer reportedly said he was trying to determine if Harris was the suspect at large because he came from the same house that afternoon.
