Like many of you I am absolutely outraged about the racist attitude that seems to be endemic in our society. This attitude results in the violent end of young black men's lives with an all too frequent killing at the hands of white policemen and "gun enthusiasts".
Shoot first ask questions later has become the norm. What did Darren Wilson say? He was making sure he had the legal right to shoot Michael Brown and determined that he did? Did he ever ask is there any way I can resolve this issue without shooting Michael Brown? It seems not.
I have lived in my house in this neighborhood for thirteen years now. It is a modest working class neighborhood in Michigan, all white. Recently two black families have moved in and it has worked my neighbors into apoplexy...(read on)
It disturbs me that my white brethren are so quick to adopt a racist attitude about such things. Epithets begin to creep into their conversation. I being, a middle aged white man, am expected to concur and participate in this ignorant discourse and instead I am embarrassed. I say, "these people have never done anything to you" and they look at me kinda strange and change the subject. I'm sure they think there must be something wrong with me, must be one of those LIB-ER-als.
I prefer progressive but so be it. So anyway I was out watering the lawn a couple of months ago and I see the Son of one of these families shooting some hoops in the driveway and let me tell you he put on quite a show. He's about 11 and wow can he move. I remember several episodes of The Wonder Years where the young white Kevin Arnold would shoot some hoops in the driveway with his friend Paul. Seems pretty much the same to me. Normal American kid behavior.
About two weeks later I see him and his brothers throwing the football around in the street and this same kid is putting on another clinic. I've never seen such a fast youngster as this and he was just wearing socks, no shoes!
So I walk down the street and ask him what his name is and all his brothers start teasing him. "What did you do now bro?" you know how brothers are. I said "No, no he hasn't done anything wrong." I just wanted to know his name so when I see it in the paper in a few years when he's playing High School football I can say "Hey, I know him, that kid lives right down the street from me. I shook his hand told him I thought he was really good and watched for a while before returning home.
So if an African American family moves into your neighborhood don't get apoplectic just go talk with them and treat them like the neighbors they are and that way we can all just get along better.