Unless he or she is living under a rock or just could care less about all the goings-on in the world of entertainment, the average person should be aware of rapper T.I.’s recent arrest.
T.I., along with his new wife Tameka “Tiny” Cottle, were arrested during a traffic stop in West Hollywood, Ca. after a police officer smelled the odor of marijuana emanating from the rapper’s car. After a search was conducted, officers found a controlled substance that allegedly resembled ecstasy, according to reports by CNN.
Most people must be dumbfounded when hearing about this. It was probably like when a receiver fumbles the football in a critical play during a game. It’s the kind of moment where someone throws their hands in the air and screams, “come on!”
Okay, you get it. It’s baffling on how misguided his decision was.
T.I. is currently on probation after serving seven months in prison on federal weapon charges. He clearly got off easy with that one. Most superstars get off easy after committing a crime because of their perceived status. Perhaps it’s some type of medical condition one acquires after making more money than the average citizen, but for some unknown reason celebrities cannot seem to stay out of trouble.
According to CBS News, T.I’s probation officer can “opt to modify the terms of his probation.” This means he can either be required to take more drug counseling classes and more frequent drug tests, or the officer can ask the judge to revoke his probation, meaning more prison time.
What is most irritating about this situation is how easily it could have been avoided. First of all, if you’re a black male, smell like marijuana and have illegal drugs on you, maybe you shouldn’t be cruising the streets of Los Angeles in your expensive car late at night. The history of police officers and black males in that city speaks for itself. You definitely shouldn’t make an illegal U-turn.
As a matter of fact, try and avoid turning at all because you would already be drawing too much attention on yourself.
Anyone who is as rich as T.I. probably shouldn’t be driving themselves anywhere, especially if they’re doing something illegal. Instead, they should take a boat or a private jet to get from point A to point B to avoid the LAPD at all costs. Okay, maybe that’s a bit much, but extremes are called for when you’re T.I., on probation, smell like marijuana and have illegal drugs on you.