If You See Something, Think about Something!

[MineralMan]

There have been any number of stories about people calling 911 because they "saw something." The most recent such call sent the cops to actor Ving Rhames' home, where he answered the door to find a police officer pointing a gun at him. A neighbor had called, after seeing "a large black man" entering the home. Oddly enough, Ving Rhames is one such "large black man."

Now, had that neighbor "seen something," and thought for a minute, she might have remembered who lived in that house and realized that it was her neighbor coming home and going in his door.

There needs to be a third item in the "If you see something" equation. "Think about something" should come between the sight and the call to 911. Really, folks. Someone could get killed. It happens.

Stop and think before knee-jerking, OK?

[Va Lefty]

1. When did we become a Nation of snitches?

[Aristus]

2. When people of color started acquiring things that white people have had the whole time.

Cars, nice homes, university educations, public honors, rewarding careers.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. I think the reason these things happen so often

might be that at least some white people believe, consciously or otherwise (for a lot of reasons, including upbringing and media stereotypes), that black people are or tend to be criminals. So when they see a black person doing something that would be ordinary, unremarkable and benign if a white person were doing it (barbecuing in a park, entering a house, swimming in a public pool, shopping or just standing around), the assumption (again, maybe conscious, maybe not) might be that they are up to no good. Of course you could just watch for a bit or maybe speak to the black person doing the ordinary, unremarkable and benign thing, but if in the back of your mind you think they might be a criminal and therefore dangerous, you don't do that. Instead, you call the police - thereby harassing (or worse) an innocent person, wasting the time of the police, and revealing yourself as a racist ass.

You're preaching to the choir here, but the point is an important one. I don't know how to fix this problem, though.

[MineralMan]

4. The common ground is fear.

Sadly, a lot of white people are afraid of dark-skinned people. Their fear is so great that it overwhelms their ability to stop and think for a moment before doing something like calling 911.

It's a shame. It shouldn't be that way. Right now, with our current national leadership, fear seems to be what they're selling, though.