--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A cop on a motorcycle roared alongside…" description: "\"“A cop on a motorcycle roared alongside, waved them to the curb. 'Goin' to a fire?' he demanded. He peered into the car and Lutie saw a slight stiffeni..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/675/ann-petry-26049_african-americans_a-cop-on-a-motorcycle-roared-alongside-w_3078818.jpg" --- # A cop on a motorcycle roared alongside, waved them to the… ![“A cop on a motorcycle roared alongside, waved them to the curb. 'Goin' to a fire?' he demanded. He peered into the car and Lutie saw a slight stiffening of his face. That meant he had seen they were colored. She waited for his next words with a wincing feeling, thinking it was like having an old…” quote by Ann Petry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/675/ann-petry-26049_african-americans_a-cop-on-a-motorcycle-roared-alongside-w_3078818.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/675/ann-petry-26049_african-americans_a-cop-on-a-motorcycle-roared-alongside-w_3078818.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/675/ann-petry-26049_african-americans_a-cop-on-a-motorcycle-roared-alongside-w_3078818.jpg) > ““A cop on a motorcycle roared alongside, waved them to the curb. 'Goin' to a fire?' he demanded. He peered into the car and Lutie saw a slight stiffening of his face. That meant he had seen they were colored. She waited for his next words with a wincing feeling, thinking it was like having an old wound that had never healed and you could see someone about to knock against it and it was too late to get out of the way, and there was that horrible tiny split second of time when you waited for the contact, anticipating the pain and quivering away from it before it actually started. The cop's mouth twisted into an ugly line.”” [Ann Petry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-petry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A police officer’s hostile reaction reveals racial tension, causing the protagonist to anticipate pain and feel trapped, highlighting systemic oppression. **In simple terms:** Racial bias in authority triggers fear and helplessness. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge systemic racism. Themes racism authority fear trauma systemic oppression Mood somber tense Type literary social commentary When to use this quote - police encounters - racial profiling - personal safety - community activism Key Concepts critical race theory psychology social injustice Questions to Reflect On - How does authority bias affect you? - What steps can reduce such oppression? A Different Perspective May not capture all systemic complexities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [African americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/african-americans/) [Blacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blacks/) [Cops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cops/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Institutional racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutional-racism/) [Motorcycle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motorcycle/) [Police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Race relations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race-relations/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Too late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-late/) ## Related quotes > [“There’s an old saying,” retired NYPD cop turned author Steve Osborne once told me, “that in police work, a cop ' s mouth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-l-hayes/there-s-an-old-saying-retired-nypd-cop-turned-author-steve-osborne/) [Christopher L. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-l-hayes/) > [“Streets like the one she lived on were no accident. They were the North’s lynch mobs, she thought bitterly; the method the big cities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-petry/streets-like-the-one-she-lived-on-were-no-accident-they-were-the/) [Ann Petry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-petry/) > [“The women work because the white folks give them jobs—washing dishes and clothes and floors and windows. The women work because for years now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-petry/the-women-work-because-the-white-folks-give-them-jobs-washing-dishes/) [Ann Petry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-petry/) > [“This was, by comparison, a safe, secure, clean world. And looking at it, she thought it must be rather pleasant to be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-petry/this-was-by-comparison-a-safe-secure-clean-world-and-looking-at-it/) [Ann Petry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-petry/) > [“America is a white supremacist bully.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-d-aliwat/america-is-a-white-supremacist-bully/) [A.D. Aliwat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-d-aliwat/) > [“Turns out if you write about police violence and atrocities, if you wait a month, it'll happen again, so... That's America.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/turns-out-if-you-write-about-police-violence-and-atrocities-if-you/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [Things like racism are institutionalized. You might not know any bigots. You feel like "well I don't hate black people so I'm not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-chappelle/things-like-racism-are-institutionalized-you-might-not-know-any/) [Dave Chappelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-chappelle/) > [“It is the beginning of the year of our Lord 1963. I see a young Negro boy. He is sitting on a stoop in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/it-is-the-beginning-of-the-year-of-our-lord-1963-i-see-a-young-negro/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [ \[The Democratic Party\]it's a party with an incredible century-and-a-half history of institutional racism. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-hannity/the-democratic-party-it-s-a-party-with-an-incredible-century-and-a/) [Sean Hannity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-hannity/) > [“Has this situation made you fearful of cops?" she eventually asks. "I don't know," I say truthfully. "My uncle's a cop. I know not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/has-this-situation-made-you-fearful-of-cops-she-eventually-asks-i-don/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [“On the other hand, in the world that we care about, endlessly preparing for social change work without actually doing it produces the exact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-c-lewis/on-the-other-hand-in-the-world-that-we-care-about-endlessly-preparing/) Jonathan C. Lewis > [“In the end, we are left with this painful conundrum: we only need DEI initiatives because we don’t truly have a society that values…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-yako/in-the-end-we-are-left-with-this-painful-conundrum-we-only-need-dei/) [Louis Yako](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-yako/) > [“It is not a secret that most American and Western institutions and workplaces are very much like mountains: the higher one climbs, the whiter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-yako/it-is-not-a-secret-that-most-american-and-western-institutions-and/) [Louis Yako](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-yako/) > [“The black officer checks Daddy while his partner glances around at all of the onlookers. There's quite a few of us now. Ms. Yvette…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/the-black-officer-checks-daddy-while-his-partner-glances-around-at/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [There was no mistake in us making abortion legal and available on demand. That was what we call progress. Just like it was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-was-no-mistake-in-us-making-abortion-legal-and-available-on/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) ## More by Ann Petry > [“Sometimes I look at my own movies”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-petry/sometimes-i-look-at-my-own-movies/) [Ann Petry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-petry/) > [A man hasn't got a corner on virtue just because his shoes are shined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-petry/a-man-hasn-t-got-a-corner-on-virtue-just-because-his-shoes-are-shined/) [Ann Petry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-petry/) > [“This was, by comparison, a safe, secure, clean world. And looking at it, she thought it must be rather pleasant to be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-petry/this-was-by-comparison-a-safe-secure-clean-world-and-looking-at-it/) [Ann Petry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-petry/) > [“She held the paper in her hand for a long time, trying to follow the reasoning by which that thin ragged boy had become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-petry/she-held-the-paper-in-her-hand-for-a-long-time-trying-to-follow-the/) [Ann Petry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-petry/) > [“The attendant looked at Camilo, looked at Link, blandly, incuriously. Link thought, In New York all the black boys who go in for what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-petry/the-attendant-looked-at-camilo-looked-at-link-blandly-incuriously/) [Ann Petry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-petry/) > [All life goes in a circle, around and around, you started at one place, and then came right back to it again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-petry/all-life-goes-in-a-circle-around-and-around-you-started-at-one-place/) [Ann Petry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-petry/) > [“Doesn't the female always take what she wants and at the same time try to hang on to what she already has?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-petry/doesn-t-the-female-always-take-what-she-wants-and-at-the-same-time/) [Ann Petry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-petry/) > [“She supposed the young colored men of Link's generation couldn't have manners like Mr. Powther's, though she didn't know why. Wars and atom bombs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-petry/she-supposed-the-young-colored-men-of-link-s-generation-couldn-t-have/) [Ann Petry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-petry/) > [All truly great art is propaganda.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-petry/all-truly-great-art-is-propaganda/) [Ann Petry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-petry/) > [Folks differs, dearie. They differs a lot. Some can stand things that others can't. There's never no way of knowin' how much they can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-petry/folks-differs-dearie-they-differs-a-lot-some-can-stand-things-that/) [Ann Petry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-petry/) > [Everything you ever had, everything you ever lost. It's all there in the trumpet--pain and hate and trouble and peace and quiet and love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-petry/everything-you-ever-had-everything-you-ever-lost-it-s-all-there-in/) [Ann Petry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-petry/) > [“The women work because the white folks give them jobs—washing dishes and clothes and floors and windows. The women work because for years now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-petry/the-women-work-because-the-white-folks-give-them-jobs-washing-dishes/) [Ann Petry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-petry/) > [“And she got the feeling that Boots Smith's relationship to this swiftly moving car was no ordinary one. He wasn't just a black man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-petry/and-she-got-the-feeling-that-boots-smith-s-relationship-to-this/) [Ann Petry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-petry/) > [“The snow fell softly on the street. It muffled sound. It sent people scurrying homeward, so that the street was soon deserted, empty, quiet.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-petry/the-snow-fell-softly-on-the-street-it-muffled-sound-it-sent-people/) [Ann Petry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-petry/) > [“Streets like the one she lived on were no accident. They were the North’s lynch mobs, she thought bitterly; the method the big cities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-petry/streets-like-the-one-she-lived-on-were-no-accident-they-were-the/) [Ann Petry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-petry/) [Explore all 22 Ann Petry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-petry/) ## More African americans quotes > [In a lot of movies, African-Americans are either maids or slaves, but that's not all they were. We need to show that. And we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/in-a-lot-of-movies-african-americans-are-either-maids-or-slaves-but/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [I know I'm more forgiving than most African Americans when it comes to second chances for White people who not only commit a racial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-capehart/i-know-i-m-more-forgiving-than-most-african-americans-when-it-comes/) [Jonathan Capehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-capehart/) > [It may be changing, but still it's the one place, that total control of an institution, that African Americans have. So sometimes, you know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/it-may-be-changing-but-still-it-s-the-one-place-that-total-control-of/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [“Alabama in 1927 alone, 27,701 men were arrested on misdemeanor charges and offered for sale by county sheriffs. In Blackmon’s estimation, “roughly half of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-haney-l-pez/alabama-in-1927-alone-27-701-men-were-arrested-on-misdemeanor-charges/) [Ian Haney López](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-haney-l-pez/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [“He (Zerubavel) draws attention to the social influences on perception (what people notice), attention and concern (what people care about), classification (how people categorize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-griswold/he-zerubavel-draws-attention-to-the-social-influences-on-perception/) [Wendy Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-griswold/) > [To those African-Americans suffering in our country, I say, what do you have to lose? Vote for Trump, I'm going to fix it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/to-those-african-americans-suffering-in-our-country-i-say-what-do-you/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Affirmative action was designed to recognize the uniquely difficult journey of African-Americans. This policy was justifiable and understandable, even to those who came from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-webb/affirmative-action-was-designed-to-recognize-the-uniquely-difficult/) [Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-webb/) > [“The black officer checks Daddy while his partner glances around at all of the onlookers. There's quite a few of us now. Ms. Yvette…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/the-black-officer-checks-daddy-while-his-partner-glances-around-at/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [African Americans are doing a lot already, but I think we have an opportunity right now to change politics in a way that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-beckmann/african-americans-are-doing-a-lot-already-but-i-think-we-have-an/) [David Beckmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-beckmann/) > [The uncomfortable reality we must face is that California, like the nation as a whole, has treated generations of African Americans and Latinos as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-uncomfortable-reality-we-must-face-is-that-california-like-the/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Since the nations founding, African Americans repeatedly have been controlled through institutions such as slavery and Jim Crow, which appear to die but then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/since-the-nations-founding-african-americans-repeatedly-have-been/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [You take a look at the history of African Americans in the US. There's been about thirty years of relative freedom. There was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/you-take-a-look-at-the-history-of-african-americans-in-the-us-there-s/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Michael Schultz's 'Cooley High' is a classic. Oftentimes, we don't get to see films about coming of age, especially for young African Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salim-akil/michael-schultz-s-cooley-high-is-a-classic-oftentimes-we-don-t-get-to/) [Salim Akil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salim-akil/) > [As African-Americans, we don't start with a blank slate, while other people may. In our position, there's always some sort of stereotype that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xavier-woods/as-african-americans-we-don-t-start-with-a-blank-slate-while-other/) [Xavier Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xavier-woods/) [Browse all 593 African americans quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/african-americans/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A cop on a motorcycle roared alongside, waved them to the curb. 'Goin' to a fire?' he demanded. He peered into the car and Lutie saw a slight stiffening of his face. That meant he had seen they were colored. She waited for his next words with a wincing feeling, thinking it was like having an old wound that had never healed and you could see someone about to knock against it and it was too late to get out of the way, and there was that horrible tiny split second of time when you waited for the contact, anticipating the pain and quivering away from it before it actually started. The cop's mouth twisted into an ugly line.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ann Petry" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-petry/a-cop-on-a-motorcycle-roared-alongside-waved-them-to-the-curb-goin-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "African americans" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-petry/a-cop-on-a-motorcycle-roared-alongside-waved-them-to-the-curb-goin-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/675/ann-petry-26049_african-americans_a-cop-on-a-motorcycle-roared-alongside-w_3078818.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/675/ann-petry-26049_african-americans_a-cop-on-a-motorcycle-roared-alongside-w_3078818.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/675/ann-petry-26049_african-americans_a-cop-on-a-motorcycle-roared-alongside-w_3078818.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A cop on a motorcycle roared alongside, waved them to the curb. 'Goin' to a fire?' he demanded. He peered…” — Ann Petry", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ann Petry", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-petry/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“A cop on a motorcycle roared...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-petry/a-cop-on-a-motorcycle-roared-alongside-waved-them-to-the-curb-goin-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-petry/a-cop-on-a-motorcycle-roared-alongside-waved-them-to-the-curb-goin-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```