Hate crime spike in Crown Heights?

All right, I seem to have a talent for putting my foot in my mouth.

Can we agree that there are places in this country still, where it would be unsafe for a black truck driver to have his truck break down? I didn't mean to characterize all of the South as unsafe, but there are pockets.

Or lets talk about a pocket I *do* know about for sure: Martinsville, IN. They're famous for the fact that blacks and minorities are Not Welcome. Unfortunately, if you want to get from any point in the state down to Bloomington, all roads pass through Martinsville. My best friend's wife and kids are white. One time when the kids were small, he was driving them to Bloomington without his wife. The kids decided they had to pee Right Now, when they were passing through Martinsville.

"Can't you hold it for fifteen minutes? We're almost to Bloomington?"

"No, Daddy, we have to go NOW!"

So he had no choice but to stop in a diner in Martinsville, so they could go to the bathroom. You could have heard a pin drop in that diner when they saw a black man hustle four little white kids to the bathroom, all of them calling him "daddy". He thinks that the only reason why he got out alive was because he had the kids with him.

His wife told me the story and she was laughing. I said, "I don't think you appreciate the terror your husband went through."

I didn't bring up my best friend to say, "See, I'm not racist!" I brought him up to say, "Here is someone I dearly care about, who because of the color of his skin, may experience violence, and that concerns and worries me." And I do worry about him a lot.

Because of the convoluted history regarding race in this country, race is REALLY hard to talk about without being awkward or putting your foot in it somewhere.

I apologize to anyone I may have offended because no offense was meant.

filmlover44 wrote: That wasn't the part that didn't come off right! Funny story though.

Ok, I don't get it. What part didn't come off right? Keep in mind I've lived in NY almost my whole life and have never really been to the south.

Sure, hugs all around! I still have no idea what's going on.

Subject: Hate crimes

It's Dakotas way with entry challenges again.
My daughter went to Indiana University in Bloomington and I drove the route from Indianapolis to Bloomington many times stopping along the way. I never witnessed any of those "old south" attitudes and there were people of all colors along the way in that one hour drive from the airport. Not to say they don't happen. Bloomington's tag line is "Come out and Play with Us" because of the large gay population and I never heard of any altercations between the gay/straight population. I would think they would also tend to fall under people who could be harassed by the same people that would hate just because of color.
I'm sorry if your friend was treated unkindly by anyone anywhere, cause that's just not right.

Subject: hate crimes

Dakotas way again.
I stand corrected after reading these news stories, I guess.
I can't fathom how anyone could stand by the beliefs of the racists stated in those articles.

where is martinsville?

good one

right. i just asked about it because other posters were talking about it.