Inside Boston's The Private Office Barbershop, owner Sandler Lacrosse, known to most as Dr. Boogs, cuts hair while speaking on issues facing black men — specifically involving law enforcement.
"It's not just the past 10 years, this from when I was growing up too," he said. "There's always been some type of racial profiling or unjust causes for me getting pulled over in my car."
Lacrosse talks about the plight many men of color say they deal with. Incidents like officer-involved shootings in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Falcon, Minnesota, are just a few of those that these men feel are a threat to their lives.
"I'm 41 years old and what I've had to deal with and what I've seen as a black man in America is a travesty, that people still live like this in 2016," said Boston resident Steven Wilson.
"One of the reasons I don't like to drive to work is for all of this, all that anxiety, everything that comes along with it," said Joel Richards. "So I just like to walk to work."
Richards says he has a fear of something happening because of driving while black, and decides to take extra precautions when being pulled over, like taking the key out of the ignition and placing both hands on the steering wheel.
"They ask you to step out of the car, I always repeat the question, 'you want me to step out of the car? You want me to get my registration and license?' This is very conscious things that I think about.
Massachusetts
The latest news from around the state
"It's dangerous being a black man anywhere on this planet," said Wilson.
While these men don't agree with killing of police officers like in Dallas, they are hoping something will change in the hearts of Americans to feel a sense of understanding.
"Any type of violence is kind of uncalled for and kind of unnecessary, especially on the level that is being displayed right now," said Lacrosse.
