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Winston-Salem native Bobby Kimbrough looks to
bridge the gap between law enforcement and the
African-American community with his book
"Surviving the Stop."
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The Stop
from page A1
lives are not lost when the
two cross paths during traf
fic stops, or even while
walking down the street.
During an exclusive
interview with The
Chronicle last week,
Kimbrough said he began
working on the book over a
year ago while watching
news reports on the death
of Freddie Gray, a 25-year
old African-American man
who died while being
transported by police offi
cers to a jail in Baltimore.
It was then he began
taking notes on the incident
and the countless others
that have occurred since.
Kimbrough mentioned
that he decided to direct the
book toward the African
American community,
instead of law enforcement
because police are already
armed with knowledge and
a skill set. He said, "Now is
the time for our community
to adopt a plan on how to
deal with this issue. A
thought-out plan is better
than a reaction anytime.
"Every profession has
its own language and cul
ture," he continued. "If you
don't know the language
they're speaking, you can
speak out of turn, which in
many cases can lead to
altercations. That's the
main purpose of this book,
to arm average citizens
with a skill set and knowl
edge on how to handle
these situations."
While many believe
complying with officers
demands during a stop is
giving up your right to
freedom of speech,
Kimbrough said that is not
the message he is trying to
send. He said, instead of
getting into a altercation on
the side of the road, go
through the proper chan
nels to handle the problem.
"I'm not saying dumb
yourself down, or give up
your rights. What I'm say
ing is change the atmos
phere," continued
Kimbrough. "If you feel
like your rights have been
violated, tnere is a way to
handle it."
"The last thing you
want to do is get in an alter
cation, because over 90
percent of the time they're
going to win."
When compared to
similar books that address
the unwritten crime of "dri
ving while black,"
"Surviving the Stop" offers
a unique perspective. As
an African-American who
was raised in the heart of
East Winston-Salem
matched with his years of
experience with the U.S.
Department of Justice,
Kimbrough understands
the struggles of being a
black man in America, and
some of the struggles
police officers face.
He mentioned on sever
al occasions, even once
while driving an undercov
er government issued vehi
cle, he has been pulled over
by the police.
i ve oeen stoppeo
plenty of times. When peo
ple see me driving, they
don't see a special agent
working for the govern
ment. They see an African
American," he continued.
"But I also understand
what the officer is dealing
with as well."
Kimbrough said every
thing noted in "Surviving
the Stop" are things that he
tells his seven sons, five of
which currently drive. He
said, "The real problem in
this country is poverty. Not
only do we have issues in
our police department, we
have issues in our schools,
and in our work places.
The real issue is the lack of
resources.
"The police are not the
problem; they are respond
ing to the problem. Blacks
are not the problem. It's a
systemic problem. If we
are really going to make a
difference, we must
By Retired Senior Special Agent - U.S. Department of Justice
BOBBY F. KIMBROUGH, JR.
with Mercedes L. Miller
Submitted photo
"Surviving the Stop" is available for pre-order at www.bobbykimbrough.com.
The book will be available for purchase nationwide on Tuesday, Aug. 15.
address all the issues that
black communities across
the country are facing."
Since officially retiring
from law enforcement late
last month, Kimbrough has
officially changed his title
to author, life coach and
motivational speaker.
Since making the
announcement on July 22,
which happens to be his
birthday, Kimbrough has
been traveling the country
discussing the book with
various media outlets. As a
retiree, Kimbrough said, he
will continue to ensure the
safety and well being of the
people in the community,
and "Surviving the Stop" is
just one of the many ways
he plans to do so.
"I still feel like I can
change some lives, and
that's what I plan to do."
Kimbrough said.
"Surviving the Stop" is
available for pre-order at
www.bobbykimbrough.co
m. The book will be avail
able for purchase nation
wide on Tuesday, Aug. 15.
For more information on
the book, contact Denise
Smith at
denise .smith@bfkinc .com.
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