By Sherman R. Frederick
Racism doesn’t get much plainer than the confrontation in New York’s Central Park over Memorial Day weekend.
At first, it sounded like one of those “dog off leash” stories you might read in the cop log of this newspaper. A woman let her dog off leash in an area where it was strictly forbidden. A man asked that the dog be put back on leash. She gets pissed and an argument
But this exchange took an icky turn that touched a nerve in America’s racial history.
The woman, who was white, said if the man, who was black, didn’t stop she was going to call the cops and tell them that “there’s an Afri- can-American man threatening my life.” She then proceeded to do just that. The exchange went viral. The woman lost her job, had her dog taken away, and had her life turned upside down via social media. A lot of people will say “good.”
It stings to be reminded that in 2020 a random upper-class woman still believes she can use the police to bring down the weight of white privilege on a random black man. Damn, that’s ugly. Thank gawd for video.
A COVID-19 POEM
I ran across this lovely sentiment while diving down an internet rabbit holes recently. Thought it worthy of pulling out and passing along. Enjoy.
Covid Poem
When this is over,
may we never again
take for granted
A handshake with a stranger
Full shelves at the store
Conversations with neighbors
A crowded theatre
Friday night out
The taste of communion
A routine checkup
The school rush each morning Coffee with a friend
The stadium roaring Each deep breath
A boring Tuesday
Life itself.
ONE MORE THING
— What’s the big advantage of being 102 years old? No peer pressure! (Hat tip to reader Tom Nibbe.)
— I met a microbiologist today. She was much bigger than I imagined.
— Before Mt. Rushmore was carved it’s natural beauty was unpresidented.
— Kids these days don’t believe me when I tell them there used to be a phone number you could dial just to find out what time it was.
— When people lecture me on trigger warnings, am I bad person for thinking this?
Until next time, be well, avoid soreheads and stay safe.
(Sherman R. Frederick is the founder of Battle Born Media, publisher of intensely local community newspapers, including the Novato Advance, the San Rafael News Pointer, the Mill Valley Herald, the Sausalito Marin Scope, the Twin Cities Times, the Ross Valley Reporter and the Pacifica Tribune. He may be reached at shermfrederick@gmail.com.)
Who was instrumental in getting the woman fired?