Former Little People, Big World star Jacob Roloff opened up about a recent incident with a police officer in California, suggesting the reason he was not stopped or given a ticket was due to “white privilege.”
On Sunday, Roloff wrote a long Instagram post about the incident, which happened on his way to Northern California to visit fiance Isabel Rock’s brother Nico.
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Roloff, 22, said a police officer yelled at him about not wearing his seatbelt, but did not pursue him or give him a ticket. Roloff said he thought this was an example of him benefiting from “white privilege.”
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“So here I am, in California now, with no ticket and still alive,” Roloff wrote. “Because if the same thing happened to a person of color the outcome could have been very different considering the abuses of power that people of color are FORCED to be hyper aware of. (Even if you are familiar, refresh yourself on the tragic case of Sandra Bland.)”
Roloff pointed out that he broke the law and was ignored.
“This is all to say that a person of color’s extrajudicial execution will never be justified by the breaking of law, and it is never even about that,” he wrote, later adding, “I think, as a white person, you are being intellectually dishonest if you insist there is not a disparity in how we are treated by the police.”
Roloff initially ended the post by telling his followers, “Try to educate whoever you can, and always be aware.”
However, Roloff further explained what he meant by “privilege.” He said as a white person, the most he could fear from a police officer after not wearing his seat belt was a ticket, but people of color have more to be concerned about.
“I knew that the MOST that would happen to me was a ticket,” Roloff wrote. “For people of color that is not so sure of a thing. And the fear does not come from knowing you broke a law and that consequences are coming, often people of color are harassed for as little as their existence.”
He continued, “And from that harassment their brothers, mothers, fathers, and sisters are killed. And from that experience, their children must be taught of that danger, and even then, knowing their rights and acting perfectly, they are still harassed. And so it is their fear, and WHY they feel that way, that we should be aware of.”
Roloff’s fans gave a mixed response to the post. Some thought he was generalizing police officers. One person pointed out their brother is a police officer and gives tickets to people “regardless of race.” Another person said the officer might have just given him a “break” and his decision not to stop Roloff had nothing to do with race.
Roloff and Rock are set to be married in September 2019. Rock confirmed the wedding will not be televised, as Roloff has not been part of LPBW since he turned 18.
