Eracism

This is going to be a touchy subject and I'm choosing my words carefully, but also giving personal experiences to help you hopefully relate and see my world and point-of-view.

The current focus of the media is the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed by a white police officer. Racial tensions and divide are at an all-time high. Before I give my thoughts as to what I think is really going on, let me give you some personal experiences, that haven't changed my opinion of either.

Summer 2001. 4AM. I had just gotten back from a mission trip to Colorado. Halfway between my then-church and home, I see the police lights flashing. My first thought in my weary, sleep-deprived, anxious-to-get-home mind was, what did I do wrong? Why am I being pulled over? The donut shops open at 5, am I getting pulled over to waste time? The officer walks up to my car and spits out some of his dip. I knew right then it wouldn't be a good experience. He searched me and my car, which I guess is standard protocol. It took about 10 minutes to run my plates and my license, knowing there's literally nothing on my record, and at that hour of the morning and that close to home, it felt like an eternity. He approached me again to hand me back my id. The reason for being pulled over? Taillight out. I told the officer, I had been told it had been going out (old car) but I couldn't see it from my vantage point behind the wheel. He gave me a ticket for having it out. And come to find out later, he was fired due to being inappropriate with a minor. Bad cop. Did that change my opinion of ALL police? No.

Fall 2012. Returning from Texas Motor Speedway. On highway 380 in Prosper between what is now Preston Road and the Dallas North Tollway. I had moved over into the other lane to give a state trooper room, as he already had one car pulled over, as soon as I move back into the other lane, he flips his lights on and proceeds to pull ME over. The crime? Taillight bulb was out. Very very minor infraction. I kept the passenger side locked, but was frantically digging through my glove box to find my insurance card. He walks over to that side and tried to open it (he may have been thinking I was carrying a gun, I don't know) he asked me to get out of the car and stand over by the back of the car. He asked me to lift up my shirt for any weapons, which I didn't have. And he asked me if I had drugs. I'm so innocent, I've never even SEEN any form of narcotics or illegal substances in my life. I granted his request and said you're not going to find any. The first thing he asked me when I got out of the car is if I had ever been arrested. My first thought was, this will be my first. I said no sir, he kept repeatedly asking me why I was so nervous. I said, sir, it's late I just want to get home. So after a search and again running my id and my plates, I'm let off with a warning. The rest of the 20-minute drive home I kept shaking my head and asking, why did that happen? Did that one State Trooper affect my opinion of ALL State Troopers? No.

Fall 2013. Working at a grocery store I worked at for almost 7 years, black customer comes through my line. I hand him change, thank him for coming in, look down and noticed I had a WHITE flour spot or something on my shirt. He flips out. He said, so you wiping the black off, is that it? Dumbfounded I responded, I'm sorry, what? He said, yeah, you're wiping your shirt off, is it because you touched me you're wiping the black off? I instantly apologized and said I'm sorry if I did or said anything to offend you. He stands by the bagging area and proceeds to throw the change at me, and said, hey fuck you man, if I was your manager I would never hire your punk ass. My first thought was, if you were my manager I wouldn't work for you. He said he would come back the next morning to tell the manager and try and get me fired. I came in the next morning and talked to all 3 managers, they said I was good and knew I wasn't like that. Did that change my opinion of anybody? No.

The next year (it had to have been because I quit working there in 2014) I had a regular customer come through my line, I think he was mixed, but we had always gotten along, and it was small friendly talk, he was from New Orleans and a big Saints fan, I was about to ask him about the Saints' upcoming season. He was on his phone and something switched in him, he said, I know you. I know you so well you little racist faggot bitch. My first thought was if you knew me, you would know I'm not any of what you said. He proceeded to berate me for several minutes before I politely asked him to leave. He came back , I don't know if it was to apologize or to further escalate the situation, I remained calm and again asked him to leave. I got off work and sat in my car and broke down and cried. Being called racist, when you aren't one, is probably the worst thing I've ever been called in my life.

Now I'm going to get political here. You can either choose to keep reading or stop reading here. Your call.

All of this racial division and tension is what the democrats and the media want. They are fanning the flames of racial tension. They want us divided. A house divided cannot stand. I stayed up till almost 2 in the morning on Friday night watching events unfold across the country. I'm all for peaceful protesting, but when it turns violent is another story. When they said the peaceful protests were turning violent in Dallas, my heart sank and I almost cried, remembering that tragic night just 3 years ago when a handful of DPD officers were ambushed in yet another night of police brutality protests and did not want a repeat. My heart sank when all these stores across the country were looted.

What point does looting make? Will that bring justice to a man who was wrongly murdered? There is borderline anarchy in the streets. Nothing is being done, that's the sad reality.

I'm a white suburban Midwestern male. I try not to see color. I was raised to think like Martin Luther King, not to judge a man by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character. I have had bad experiences with both police and those of a different shade of melanin than myself. That hasn't changed my opinion of either. I've always said that people are like Christmas presents, it's what's inside that counts.

As I went to bed on Friday night (Saturday morning) I began praying out of almost fear, I said please God I know You're in control and Your hand is still on this country, I pray we will never lose You or let go of Israel because only then You will turn Your back on us.

I hope it's not too late. This country needs to revert back to 2 Chronicles 1:7: If My people who are called by My Name will humble themselves and pray, I will hear them from heaven and heal their land.