Originally Posted by Pete F.
Always the liberals fault.
What is it like to be a black man in America?
"Ernest showed up at my door and I had to address it. I couldn't pretend nothing was going on as we were watching news of the protests and riots upstairs," Brock said.
Skelton's answer shocked her.
"He was very open and willing to share what his life was like, and I'm going to say it really shocked me, because I didn't know that this is a normal black man has to deal with every day," Brock said, tears welling in her eyes.
Skelton told her about the numerous times he claims he's been pulled over by Myrtle Beach police, but said it wasn't for traffic violations.
"I get pulled over because my truck fit the description of a robbery. They question me about the boxes in my car," he said.
He claims the harassment from police has gotten so bad, he doesn't leave the house after dark anymore.
"Soon as I'm 5 minutes from my house, the blue light come on. I pull over and they ask me what I'm doing out this time of night. I'm like, 'dude really. I got a sign on my truck, invoices showing I just got off of work,'" he said.
He said seeing what happened to George Floyd certainly hasn't improved his level of trust with law enforcement, either.
"George Floyd , when I saw that, that could have been me. They could have easily snatched me out of the car," he said.
He went on to tell her about the prejudice he's faced in the workplace, too.
"Me being an African-American, I have 2 degrees, but I can't get a job with two degrees because of my skin color," he said.
This eventually led him to become his own boss and start his own business, Grand Strand Appliance Repair Services.
He said even customers will question his qualifications from time to time.
"I have customers asking me 'are you certified? Do you know what you're doing?' I mean they want a background history," he said.
It was an eye-opening conversation for Brock. She said it was an uncomfortable dialogue to initiate, but a much-needed one.
"Let's not pretend that it doesn't exist. Let's ask the hard questions and be willing and open to see what's under there," Brock said. "It's really about listening with an open mind instead of thinking you know."
She wanted to share what she learned with the world, in the hopes that his story would enlighten others, too.
With his permission, she posted what she learned from him on Facebook.
The post has since gone viral. It's been 'liked' and shared hundreds of thousands of times.
Skelton said people from all around the world have been reaching out to him nonstop, either with messages of sympathy, or stories of similar run-ins with law enforcement.
Even Myrtle Beach City Manager John Pedersen said he saw the post. In an email to ABC 15, he said he found Skelton's allegations "disturbing" and that Myrtle Beach police were investigating.
However, he said so far, they have only found record of one incident with Skelton, and it was related to a traffic incident back in 2014. He said they are continuing to look into the matter.
Skelton said he feels many of his encounters with local police went undocumented, though.
"Plenty of times I get pulled over for no reason, so if I'm getting pulled over for no reason at all, of course they're not going to put that in their record," he said.
Ernest Skelton said he doesn't have high hopes things will change for the black community, but he said when people in positions of privilege, like Caroline Brock, are willing to ask and listen, it's certainly a good start.
"It's about listening and it's about uplifting," Brock said.
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