Suspicions that still divide us

[bobbolink]

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_12916127

(snip)
Fearing that he was trying to rob us (you know, of the valuable chunks of dead leaves we stash covertly in our gutters), police threatened arrest if he didn't leave our property and the neighborhood immediately.

(snip)
Some grumbled that evening about the stranger on our street. One was upset that he had knocked on her door. One found it conspicuous that he came and went on foot, without a truck or tools. Another wondered if he robbed some garages a few blocks away.

The detail of Ricky's do-rag came up more than once — an indirect way to address the fact of his blackness in an area that's mostly white.

(snip)

If there was ever a time for second-guessing, it's now, and not only among law enforcers. Anyone who lives anywhere that isn't gated should expect strangers these days in their neighborhoods. And anyone who's even half-awake in this recession should know people would rather be doing most anything else but knocking on doors and asking to wash windows or clean gutters.

We all make calls every day. Some of them warrant a second guess.

Susan Greene writes Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Reach her at 303-954-1989 or [e-mail].

[frebrd]

1. K&R n/t

[M0rpheus]

2. K&R

[hfojvt]

3. it's like we are caught in a trap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxlGioADs3I

However, they would likely be almost as suspicious of a white guy who wasn't in a suit and tie. More than once I have been asked to move along when I was on a bicycle trip seeking a bathroom and a drink of water.

[bobbolink]

4. It's a trap of long-standing....because of ostrich behavior,

"More than once I have been asked to move along when I was on a bicycle trip seeking a bathroom and a drink of water."

Imagine what it's like to be homeless.

Just ask me about it. :(