
TULSA, OK – Camera footage from a traffic stop revealed a longtime Oklahoma state senator, who is Black, arguing with a white sheriff’s deputy after the stop devolved into a “very verbal ordeal,” according to an article published by the New York Post earlier this month.
The Post added body camera footage obtained by Fox News Digital clearly showed Democratic State Sen. Regina Goodwin in an argument with Tulsa County Sheriff’s Deputy Freddie Alaniz soon after 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan 11, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
As reported by the Post, the scene began with a tense exchange between the two individuals after Goodwin was pulled over by Alaniz for allegedly failing to stop at two stop signs.
The body camera footage (https://www.fox23.com/news/body-cam-video-shows-argument-between-ok-senator-and-tulsa-county-deputy-at-traffic-stop/article_611d7f34-d9cb-11ef-8969-ff7736fa87b5.html) referenced by the Post showed Alaniz asking Goodwin for her license multiple times, saying, “Ma’am, I’m not going to ask you again. Can I get your driver’s license, or can I take you to jail for running a stop sign?” and, “I’m not going to ask you again. It’s not for debate.”
According to the Post, the two went back and forth, and Goodwin claimed the officer was “escalating” the traffic stop.
Goodwin was further quoted by the Post as saying, “That is not true. That is not true at all. I was having a conversation, and you just all of a sudden said, ‘I’ll arrest you,’” to which Alaniz responded with “No, I said, ‘Or, I can arrest you if that’s what you want.’”
Continuing the exchange as reported in the Post, Goodwin said, “I think you really escalated something,” and asked, “why would that even be an option for you?”
The Post continues to follow this exchange as Alaniz responds, saying “because you’re refusing to give me your driver’s license,” to which Goodwin replies “there was no refusal of me to give you my driver’s license.”
The officer said he asked more than five times for Goodwin’s driver’s license, yet she “kept debating (her) driver’s license,” Alaniz told the Post.
The Post quotes Goodwin’s reply to this claim, “I was not at all debating my driver’s license, sir, that is not correct.”
Goodwin was detained in handcuffs following this exchange, and placed in the patrol vehicle, according to the Post.
Goodwin’s attorney, Mike Manning, witnessed the scene and spoke with the deputy as noted by the Post, which further followed this exchange between Manning and Alaniz.
Manning was quoted by the Post as saying, “I realize you have a job to do, officer,” continuing, “I realize Sen. Goodwin can be a little bit strong-headed at times, but don’t you think you can write her a citation or something? She’ll give you her driver’s license.”
Alaniz, responding to Manning’s request, said in the Post, “Yeah, yeah, I can absolutely do that,” and “I don’t need to ask her 10 times for her driver’s license.”
The Post reported the officer’s statement to Manning, saying “I don’t have an issue writing her a citation or letting her go, but I’m the one that’s in command of the traffic stop, not her.”
The officer further described the issue as reported by the Post, saying, “She blatantly ran two stop signs, and I was just going to give her a verbal warning and tell her not to do that, but her demeanor — the way that she was — I can’t have that.”
The officer reportedly called his supervisor to the scene, according to the Post, and explained how he pulled Goodwin over for rolling two stop signs and speeding down the street.
In Alaniz’s words, “She ran this stop sign back here and the other one that’s a little further down. Just came up, slowed down, and then (drove) right through them,” as quoted in the Post.
Further explaining his actions, Alaniz said in the Post, “She was driving so fast that, when she was hitting the puddles of water, it was just shooting them out. So that’s why I came up and pulled her over.
“And as I was getting out, she got out of her car, (asking) ‘Why are you stopping me?’ You know, just kind of got very verbal. I asked for her driver’s license numerous, numerous times, and she wouldn’t give it to me.”
Goodwin was released at the scene, but was given a citation for failure to stop at a stop sign. She later pleaded no contest at a court appearance and was found guilty.
Goodwin represents Oklahoma’s 11th District and was elected to the state Senate in 2024. She previously served in the state’s House of Representatives from 2014-2024.
I don’t know why this is an issue.
I watched the video and the officer was being very reasonable and she was not cooperating.
The officer asked her untold several times for her driver’s license and she wouldn’t produce it, she left the officer no choice.
You think a white State Senator would have been handcuffed under those circumstances?
Probably if that “white” State Senator was refusing to produce their license like this “black” State Senator was.
I don’t agree and I don’t think other people agree which is why this is a big deal. Handcuffs seem an overreaction under those circumstances. There are other ways to handle it.
She’s the one who escalated the incident, how many times does he need to ask her for her D.L. before he has to take other steps? Not everything is about race.
The question is whether a similarly situated white person would be treated the same way – I don’t think they would be. That’s what makes it about race.
I’m a white guy and I’ve been pulled over and ticketed for a Hollywood stop.
Yes, it made me mad, but guess what? I didn’t end up in handcuffs because when the cop asked for my driver’s license I GAVE IT TO HIM.
“The question is whether a similarly situated white person would be treated the same way – I don’t think they would be. That’s what makes it about race.”
What you “think” has no relevance, and in fact demonstrates bias itself.
I mean it was so simple, all she had to do was show her driver’s license as the officer repeatedly asked her for.
She was trying to talk her way out of it instead of simply giving the officer her license who was being totally reasonable.
How is this even a race issue at all, so much as the issue of politicians who think they are above the law. “Don’t you know who I am?” syndrome.
“The question is whether a similarly situated white person would be treated the same way – I don’t think they would be.” Sounds exactly like what David Greenwald would “don’t think”.
I read the article because I wondered from the headline what made a state senator “Black O.K.”
Y’know, I got a ticket in Petaluma for going straight on a right-only, and I’m SURE it was my Ashkenazi eyebrows 😐
I was wondering about the “Black OK” reference, as well.
Yes, what I saw was a driver who thought she was “entitled”. Already out of her vehicle, before the officer even approached her.
I’m going to assume that refusal to give a driver’s license after being pulled over for a traffic stop WILL result in an arrest – regardless of skin color.
And why did her attorney “happen to be there”, and why did the mayor show up, etc.? And more importantly, can I expect the same type of response, if I ever get pulled over?
“And why did her attorney “happen to be there”, and why did the mayor show up, etc.?”
Yes Ron, if she were white they would call that entitlement.
Also, as I recall, David once stated that Willie Brown had some interactions that sounded somewhat similar to this, when driving between the Bay Area and Sacramento. And in that case, I recall that David’s opinion was that Mr. Brown was on the wrong side of appropriateness. (Something like that.)
In other words, “entitled”.
Perhaps someone can show a parallel example with a white person? Got three white men saying nothing to see here, but none have provided a parallel example.
I would think that there are no two examples that are exactly “parallel”. Has this particular officer allowed “white” people to avoid arrest, if they repeatedly refuse to provide a driver’s license?
And if so, did the white driver “happen to have” their attorney present, and the mayor/others show up?
I have seen examples where (regardless of skin color), officers order drivers to stay in their car in the first place. In this case, I was surprised to see that the officer did not immediately order the driver back into her car.
In any case, perhaps you can refresh our memory regarding any incidents with Willie Brown, as I don’t recall the specifics.
But just to be clear here, are you saying that “white men” can’t make objective observations, or that your judgement (as someone who also appears to be white) is somehow more enlightened than that of other white people? If so, then your own comment would appear to show that objective observations do not necessarily correspond with skin color of the observer.
Willie Brown was pulled over in the early 70s in his sports car and the CHP officer asked him where he got the car “ boy” – he then went to the capital and took the entire line out of the CHP budget whereby his staffer called the CHP office and explain the situation and they put a strict directive not to pull the vehicle over again.
Thanks – doesn’t sound good on either side of that. Personally, I’m a lot more concerned about providing someone with “carte blanche” to speed. I’ve been called “boy” more than once, by racist black students. And also experienced incidents far worse than that.
I tried to find something regarding this, and I see someone referring to the “Willie Brown Act” in the comment section of this post.
https://www.quora.com/Got-a-speeding-ticket-going-99-on-I-5-in-California-Its-my-first-offense-and-I-have-no-prior-points-on-my-license-Cop-told-me-I-was-going-over-100-but-wrote-me-down-for-99-What-am-I-looking-at-here
“Got three white men saying nothing to see here . . . ”
Why do you even talk like that? In my view of things, that just screams of racism to talk like that, as if all the people in your little cult go ‘heh heh heh’ like cartoon chipmunks because you, a white guy, believe that you got one up on three supposedly-white guys who you consider inferior because their politics is to the right of yours in varying degrees — because in your world ‘right and white’ means ‘inferior’. It’s as clear as the Dippity Doo in your hair. And by the way, though I may appear white to some people, I don’t identify as white, I identify as Jewish. And if you have a problem with that in your twisted progressive view of the world, you can kiss my Ashkenazi a** 😐
Apologies for the dippity doo comment . . . it actually looks kinda suave. I’ll do better on refraining from personal pokes when I’m annoyed.
I think we can all just agree that it’s “o.k.” to be black, or vice-versa.