It is a tale that is repeated dozens of times daily all over the country; an African American stopped by police for driving while black.
For Paul Goldsmith Jr., his tale played out in October of 2016 while driving in Brownsville, Florida with his 4 year old daughter and his legally permitted firearm.
“Philando Castile got shot on Facebook Live for reaching for his wallet in his back pocket,” Goldsmith tells the Pensacola News Journal. “So this was on my mind that night that I had my baby in the car because my baby’s not old enough to witness or testify anything that happens.”
Goldsmith does what everyone is told to do. He made sure that he kept his hands visible on the steering wheel, but he couldn’t help but have his mind racing when the officer asked for his ID.
When the officer asked Goldsmith if he had anything dangerous in the car, Goldsmith was honest. He informed the deputy that he had a weapon and a permit.
According to Goldsmith, the deputy went into “defense mode” and pulled Goldsmith out of the car and detained him. After a check of his record and finding that the permit was legit and he had a clear record, the officers let Goldsmith go.
Unlike many similar situations, Goldsmith refused to take a negative attitude towards the situation and vowed to teach others. Goldsmith is the CEO of Legal Carry Inc., where he helps the Black community through education and training about gun laws, gun safety, and general gun misinformation.
“I worry about my son because I have seen many times how the media capture or a citizen captures an event, like a Philando Castile,” Goldsmith says.
“[He] was a law abiding citizen, concealed carry permit holder in the state of Minnesota, he worked for the school board in his county and his jurisdiction, and he did everything he was supposed to do during that law enforcement encounter and still ended up with a death note.”
Goldsmith says that the relationship between the African American community and guns has always been portrayed negatively and he hopes to be able to change that stereotype.
“I want to break the stigma of Blacks dealing with firearms when it deals with crimes or self-defense from those crimes.”
Goldsmith is glad that he was able to walk away from his encounter with law enforcement, but also worries what would have happened to others, including those in his own family, in a similar situation.
Goldsmith, in partnership with 100 Black Men of Pensacola, will be hosting a free online training class, “Pistol Safety Training: 101 #UnderstandingFirearms”.
The class looks to inform citizens on the process of acquiring a concealed carry permit, general gun safety, Florida gun laws, and purchasing a firearm among other topics.
The class will be held Saturday, February 26th. Go to floridalegalcarry.com for more information and to register for the class.
