The sort other countries issue travel advisories about.
The Bahamas has issued a warning to Bahamians looking to travel to the United States — especially young male Bahamians (who are people of color): "exercise extreme caution in affected cities in … interactions with the police." Also, avoid demonstrations and crowds.
The Bahamas’ new U.S. travel advisory: Use ‘extreme caution’ around police
“Do not be confrontational and cooperate,” with police, advised the foreign ministry of The Bahamas, which is 90 percent black.
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As an American I cannot really argue with this. Well, okay, there are very well-run police forces in the country, but there are some truly awful ones.
No real way to know which one you're dealing with, especially if you're not a local, so it's always best to play it safe. Leave the cop in control of the situation.
+James Karaganis Policing is truly an awful job, and I don't envy people who are trying to serve the public in that way at all. Even something as trivial as a legit traffic stop can go suddenly, horribly wrong for the officer. It doesn't happen at all frequently, but that's easy for non-police folk to forget.
That said, it's also a profession that it's easy for bigotry and bullying to be attracted to or, once in, for it to take root, unless there is strong, determined, no-nonsense leadership from the very top. Unfortunately, that's been missing in too many cases, and there are, in fact, some awful police forces out there, especially about certain things.
So, yes, being "cooperative" not "confrontational" is a good idea for everyone — even if there's something worth confronting over, and especially if you're one of those groups who seem to be (literally) targeted most. It's sad advice (and smacks of blaming the victim, alongside advice given to women about avoiding rape), but it's also about a battle that isn't likely to be won at the point of conflict.