I'm rattled

You have to understand that I only drink alcohol on weekends. I like my bottle of wine. But this Wednesday afternoon I’m sitting at my computer with a gin and tonic. I felt like I needed a drink.

My son came home earlier and told me about an encounter he had at a local Starbucks. He’s tall, tattooed, muscular, goateed, and of Puerto Rican heritage (born in the Bronx). We adopted him from foster care when he was 3. 

He was waiting to pay for his order. A tall, older white guy stood next to him, very close, and turned a stony stare on him. My son became aware of this, stepped sidewise away from the man, and looked him up and down. The guy just kept on staring. My son paid for his drink, left, and went out to the parking lot. He was waiting for a friend, so he just walked around the lot and did not go to his car. He didn’t see the guy after that. 

I REALLY don’t like this. We are in a majority white, very Trumpy town in the middle of Long Island. My son’s high school graduating class was 97% white, but he always had friends and was popular. There were a few times while he was in school that he and his friends acted up in class, and he felt that he was punished more harshly than the white boys. I always asked him if he wanted me and my husband to get involved with the school over this, and he said no. 

ICE agents have been spotted just a few towns over, and I’ve read that at least one law-abiding non-citizen has been taken away for deportation. We have our son carrying around a copy of his NYC birth certificate, and we need to get him a Real ID ASAP. He’s a state champion martial arts fighter, but I’m afraid if he tried to use his skills in a situation where he was being grabbed, it would just make things worse. 

I just wanted to vent. Thanks for reading.