Hours before President Barack Obama took his wife Michelle out on the town in Manhattan, New York Congressman Charles Rangel had some bone-chilling words for the nation’s first African-American commander in chief.

“Make certain he doesn't run around in East Harlem unidentified,” Rangel said.

The congressman gave the statement after he was asked what advice he would offer Obama for the president's Saturday night visit to the city.

If readers are out of the loop on Rangel’s comment, here’s reason to shout “Amen” to the congressman.

Recently, Omar Edwards, a young, Black police officer chasing a theft suspect in East Harlem was fatally shot by another officer after he failed to drop his weapon when ordered.

The officer involved in the shooting is white, Edwards is Black and had no visible NYPD identification on him, according to reports. It was unclear if Edwards identified himself.

“This is always a Black cop's fear, that he'd be mistaken for a [suspect],” a source told the New York Daily News.

No, police have not yet determined if the incident was indeed provoked by race, but the situation we have here is all too familiar with past cases that have occurred between Black men and New York’s finest.

Need we say Sean Bell?

Bell was fatally shot a few years ago when police gunned down a group of three unarmed Black men, killing Bell on his wedding day.

The shooting took place after a stag party at a strip club in Queens, a few hours before Bell, 23, was due to marry the mother of his two small daughters. He was struck in the neck and arm and was dead on arrival at the hospital.

And, according to a file report from the Associated Press, the officers on the scene fired a total of 50 bullets, but fewer than half hit the intended target, a car carrying the three men, despite being fired at close range.

Need more? Here are two other high-profile cases involving Black men being targets for NYPD.

Amadou Diallo in 1999. Diallo was a street trader from Guinea and was unmercifully shot 19 times when white NYPD officers mistook his wallet for a gun and fired 41 bullets. What happened to the officers? Four were acquitted – Diallo’s family was paid $3 million in compensation.

Next is Patrick Dorismond in 2000. Dorismond was an unarmed 26-year-old Haitian security guard, who was killed by NYPD officer Anthony Vasquez in a bungled drugs sting. Dorismond reacted angrily when undercover detective asked him for crack cocaine and was shot in struggle. What happened to the officer? Vasquez was not prosecuted – Dorismond’s family was paid $2.25 million in compensation.

Sean Bell, Amadou Diallo, Patrick Dorismond and now Omar Edwards have become victims of a police department that refuses to believe its members have issues dealing with race.

In a New York Daily News report, Mayor Michael Bloomberg stated at a press conference at Harlem Hospital that he expressed his sorrow to Edwards' wife.

“Nothing that you can ever say will bring back the deceased,” he said. “He was there protecting the rest of us. We will find out what happened. This is a tragedy. We'll see what we can learn from it."

The report revealed officers discovered Edwards was one of them when rescue crews cut open his shirt to treat the bleeding and saw a police academy shirt.

They then searched his pockets and found his shield.

So tragic.

Black men are part of this country, whether people like to believe it or not. We die, fight, cry and have emotions for this great land of ours just as any other law-abiding constituent. With that said, we shouldn’t have to worry about being target practice for people that are there to serve and protect us.

Hope Obama’s trip was enjoyable – without having to look over his back.