[cologal]

While we might not like it racism still exits in our country. While I say there is not a racist bone in my body that is really not true. I used to travel every week to a different city for work and walked often alone, when I heard someone walking behind me I would check the person out. I noticed that I was more concerned, heart rate went up, if the person was male or a person of color. Not once, in 24 years, was I ever attacked, robbed or anything else. Now was I a racist, sexist or just being careful?

At the very least I was using racial profiling something that is often used by the police. Racial profiling in a 911 call led to the shooting death of a man in a Walmart in Ohio. The 911 called said there was a black man waving a gun at shoppers in the store. The SWAT team arrived and within 5 secs the man was dead. The police released the 911 call tape to the public but the Walmart tape were not. The man had purchased a air gun in the store, the tape shows it was playing with it in an aisle alone when a family turns into the aisle sees the guy and backs out. The caller now admits he never saw the man wave to gun at anyone....but a man is dead.

I have looked into myself and found something I didn't expect or like so I am working on my behavior. Perhaps we all should do this exercise.

[sunnyatlast]

The whole thread is based on hearsay and only one side of the story...that of a landscaper who told a truthful listener who repeated the story here.

Nobody here knows what was witnessed in full by the person who called police. Nobody knows if the guy was telling only the innocent parts of a larger scenario/story. Nobody knows whether he has old criminal convictions in another state. Nobody here knows whether there were accomplices waiting in a vehicle around the corner and down the street a few blocks.

All of which is why police were called, to have THEM figure out whether he could be up to no good.

Blaming this alleged insult on alleged racism pooh poohs the need for police, and it tells people they should racially profile themselves and quantify and analyze their level of white guilt and whether it's enough, instead of calling quickly to simply get help for a neighbor who could be in danger!

[perrjojo]

Years ago my husband was coach of a little league baseball team. Many of the young players were black. They did not have transportation to and from the practice field so I often picked them up and took them home to their predominately black neighborhoods. Guess what? I was profiled when in the neighborhood because it was unusual to see a white person in that neighborhood. It is a fact that there are not many blacks in TV, therefore when we see a black person, we cant help but
notice...Just as the families of the black children couldn't help but notice that a white person was in their neighborhood. I don't think that is racist , it is just noticing something different. Yes, I was treated with suspicion when in the neighborhood until they became accustomed to my presence.

[another Linda]

Oh no, Red. Please tell me this wasn't RC! He is the nicest man. And he frequently stops by our place to check on things.