Pennsylvania

Woman Develops ‘Not Reaching' Pouch to Save Black Lives During Traffic Stops

Jackie Carter was at home in Pennsylvania celebrating her son's 30th birthday on July 6, 2016, when she heard the news that a Minnesota man, 32-year-old Philando Castile, had been shot and killed by a police officer. Moments after the shooting, Castile can be heard saying he "wasn't reaching" for his gun. 

Carter, who doesn't know Castile, remembered thinking to herself, “Someone has got to come up with a solution,” NBC BLK reported

She's since created a small, clear identification pouch that can be attached to the driver's side air vent of the vehicle. Carter thought that would keep young men from reaching around their cars while looking for license and registration documents and setting off potentially dangerous interactions with the police. 

She calls the pouch “Not Reaching!” 

"I'm more fearful [for my son] in a car here than [when he's serving] in Afghanistan,” Carter told NBC BLK

Since its launch three years ago, the pouch has sold more than 1,000 units, and Carter says she has given the product away to just as many drivers around her community. 

Valerie Castile, Philando's mother, supports Carter's product. But she also says it’s upsetting that it’s come to this — having to create a device in the hopes of preventing a fatality. 

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