Civil Rights: Why I am more Important than Martin Luther King

[heydaralon]

Sometimes though not often, I have made jokes on here. You guys might think I am a dummy. That is wrong on so many levels. I help people, and a lot too.

The other day at work, my coworkers were having a discussion. It was gossip mostly. Not the sort of thing I engage in. In our store, a black customer was walking around. This person did not look like they were having a good day. I went up to them and asked them if they needed help. No one else in my department did so. It was like this African American was invisible.

The black person looked at me and said they didn't need help. Ok. So I went back to doing my own tasks and what not, but I saw this guy put some stuff in his jacket. He clearly was trying to pull a fast one. I decided not to bring this up with anyone. But alas, the camera caught him and our Loss Prevention guy accosted him as he tried to leave the store. They took him into the manager's office and waited for the cops to come I guess.

My coworkers talked about this incident. They asked what the guy stole. No one mentioned his race, but I could tell they were thinking it. They were probably jumping to all kinds of conclusions in their minds.

That's when I decided to step up. I said, "Just because this black guy stole from this company doesn't mean that all blacks steal."

My coworkers looked at me like I had solved the Fermi paradox. I can't blame them. They have not had the education that I have, including 4 years of college, so I tried to explain this concept to them in a way that would not come off as arrogant. They still didn't get it.

I started to get a bit tense. I asked them, "How would you feel if you were black and I accused you of stealing, and you didn't even steal anything?"

No one answered. I asked the question again. Finally, the cops took me aside and asked me if I would be willing to testify in court. I said no, because there was no proof that the guy actually stole it. He might have simply gotten confused and walked inadvertantly away from the registers. The cops said I don't need to be scared and they could put me in the Witness protection program. I said I'll think about testifying, but not because the guy is black. I had to explain this again to the cops, because they didn't understand either.

I am typing this from Witicha Kansas, because I ended up testifying against the guy, and I am now in the program. But, I at least understand the nuances of this situation.