Officer Charles and the Presidential Motorcade
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Jan. 21, 2016)
Detroit, MI – Officer Charles pulled up in his salty-looking Detroit Police Car, blocking the cars on Chene from getting onto E. Jefferson. Across the way, two State of Michigan troopers did the same. He pulled a knit cap down to cover up his chin, and with thick black gloves stood in the normally-busy street to do his part to keep cars and people out of the way.
Every intersection was blocked by officers, forming two long lines of blue and red lights buffering an empty road towards the skyscrapers in the distance.   That well-guarded path was to help The President of the United States, Barack Obama, make it home safely after giving a speech to a group of auto workers at GM.
Some people had no idea what was going on, or why they were told to wait in the parking lots and streets. But others knew, and had come out just for the split-second glimpse at the Commander in Chief.
Once his corner was secure, Officer Charles took time to explain what was going on. He took pride in telling a pair of young men who had been walking home from school that they would get to see the President drive by. Another woman in a nearby SUV said she wanted her son to see the President.
“I know we probably won’t even get to see him, but this is a once in a lifetime chance if we can,” said another woman who came out with two young ladies at her side.
Across the street, in front of Comerica Bank, a group of teachers gathered in hopes of bringing attention to the struggles of Detroit Public Schools. Officer Charles’s mother was a teacher in DPS, and said it made him feel good to see the teachers out that day. The woman with the two girls asked him who his mother was, and it turned out she had been a student of hers. One of her favorite teachers even.
The woman works on the assembly line at GM. “I’ll tell my mom you made it,” Officer Charles said.
The young men, in their early teens, spotted a young lady across the way that they knew, shivering in thin pink coat. They wanted to cross the street but Officer Charles, with a smile, said that there were snipers on top of every building and crossing the street might make them nervous. So instead of crossing, the next few chilly minutes were spent looking in awe at every single rooftop, trying to guess where Secret Service might hide.
Other people got out of their cars to watch too. For about ten minutes strangers chatted and looked for any signs of movement. They listened to Officer Charles as he talked about how lucky they all were and letting them know what to expect.
“It will be really quick,” he said. “There will be two limos but you won’t know which one he is in so just look at the limo windows and maybe you’ll get to see him. You gotta be ready.”
“You’ll be able to tell your friends that you saw the President of the United States,” he said.
When the first two police cars whizzed by, everyone rushed to the curb. Many grabbed their camera phones and there was an audible mass holding of breath as a wave of lights approached.
The motorcade passed by the IHOP restaurant and Comerica Bank as the teachers across the way cheered, and just as quickly they were gone. And Officer Charles was gone too. In that quick of an instant he’d jumped back in his car and joined the long line of police who had the honor of following the President out to the airport.

Along the route were teachers, parents, and groups of children who had come out to watch the procession. There were workers and residents and at least one homeless man with a shopping cart full of possessions. How many got to see the President’s silhouette as his limo whizzed by? That would be hard to say. But clearly there were many who would not let cold and snow stand in their way of a “once in a lifetime” chance to see the President of the United States come through their town.
Those who happened to be at Chene and E. Jefferson, were lucky enough to see at least two positive role models, thanks to the proud and friendly service of a Detroit Police Officer named Charles.
For video and transcript of the President’s speech, go to http://oaklandcounty115.com/2016/01/20/president-obama-visits-detroit-video-2/.