A dad has shared a video of his 10-year-old son hiding from the police for no reason whatsoever and told of the heartbreaking reason behind why he did it:
While Stacey Pierre-Louis was at work, he watched his son in the front yard as he played happily until all of a sudden, little Eliah Pierre-Louis stopped and hid behind the family's car in the driveway.
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At that moment, a police car drove past the house in Trumbull, Connecticut, US. Eliah watched it go past and then emerged from behind the car to carry on playing.
His confused father decided to ask the boy why he hid from the cops in that moment and admits he was 'floored' by the answer from his son.
Replying to his dad's question, Eliah said: "Because they killed George Floyd."
Posting the video to Instagram to show the knock on impact that George Floyd's death has had, not only on adults in the black community but also their children, Stacey wrote: "I'll save the dramatics, but growing up black or brown most of the time means fearing the police vs looking up to them."
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He continued: "I live in an affluent neighborhood in Trumbull with a really good school system. This kid has all the opportunity to do/be whatever he wants unlike many kids who look like him because resources aren't made available. Why does he feel like he has to hide when he isn't doing anything wrong?"
After having the conversation with his son, Stacey admitted he didn't know what to say to 'make it better'.
He explained: "A manager at my job told me to tell him that doing what he did is ridiculous and that I should teach him not to be fearful of police. Deep down I don't know if it's true, maybe staying out of the way is best.
"He didn't learn this behaviour at home. We stream movies so he doesn't see the news and we don't talk negatively about police. No need to reply in the comments, but think to yourself... What would you say?"
One person commented on the video to say: "Wow. He should be able to just be a kid. I do not like that our young children are vigilant to protect their lives.
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"My eight-year-old was petrified when she saw a police car. I felt guilty for having the news on in the house."
Another added: "This is the most heart breaking video. He should never have to fear for his life from the people that are supposed to protect him. I'm sorry. Things are changing tho! I hope and pray that no one ever has to fear the police."
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@lacetight