My daughter and son-in-law's a/c went out the other afternoon in this terrible heat and humidity. They had to wait until 10:00 pm for the repairman; he was that busy. The poor guy went to the wrong house (next door to M&M, where the crazy Christian neighbors live) The neighbor man got all freaked out that a black man was knocking at his door at 10 pm. He yelled at the a/c tech and called the repairman the n-word.
The a/c man was quite shaken by the overt racism. But still, he found the right address and knocked on THAT door to fix the problem and finish his day. My son-in-law went with him to check on the a/c components outside so that no one would freaking shoot him.
It is my white privilege that even allows my mind to be boggled. This is what people of color have to endure every damn day.
What a sad story, outrageous and such a sign of our times.
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable. And, as you said, a vivid illustration of the scary reactions and threats that people of color face regularly.
ReplyDeleteBeing a privileged white person, I feel ashamed. How can we now turn our back and say we didn’t know. Enough!
ReplyDeleteI worked for an A/C and heating company. It was mostly commercial rather than residential. How I hated to send our technicians to those extremely hot roofs in the summer. All year long, though, these trades people work very hard for our comfort and are due respect. .
What an awful neighbor! Just terrible and makes me so sad and angry that people have to endure this treatment. I want to help but I don't even know where to start. So many changes must be made and I hope we can see these changes soon. People of color have had to wait way too long for "liberty and justice for ALL"!
ReplyDeleteThe repairman, doing his job under appallingly adverse conditions, and your son-in-law are among the many who are instrumental in bringing about positive change. These are the true stories that need to be told again and again.
ReplyDeleteyep, every damn day...
ReplyDeleteI don't like us for what we are reluctant to fix. I only have my mouth, and will keep using it.
ReplyDeleteThis is dreadful. It happens here too, racial profiling. A couple of years ago, we traveled by train and there was a loud group of drunk soccer fans and someone called the police. When the cops arrived at the next stop they walked straight through the drunk fans and asked the one single Arab looking male for his ID.
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ReplyDeleteThe neighbor is a Christian? Really? Doesn't sound like one.
Indeed they do. And often a lot worse. But still there are people who say there's no such thing as racism, or there is but they personally have never been racist.
ReplyDeleteThis racist cancer is growing out of control, with a government who seem intent of feeding it. I can't imagine what it must be like being Black in this toxic atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteOn a positive note - I'm impressed that your daughter got same-day service. Where I live, high school students have been forced into academic tracts and now there is such a shortage of trade workers that folks wait weeks for service.
How very Crazy Christian of the Fundie Neighbor, huh? It's always those thumping their Bibles an claiming such Godliness that seem to display the most Ugliness and Hatred, so ironic and such hypocrisy... their brand of Religion has a god, not The God who Created us all. Anyway, glad your Family offered him the protection he surely required with a Nut Job like that lurking next door and wound up... probably a MAGA Maniac too, no doubt?
ReplyDeleteThe toxicity is indeed rampant.
ReplyDeleteSam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" has been playing in a loop in my mind (and streaming radio).
And it feels like far too many are emboldened to be openly racist now.
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