I Feel Kind of Bad for the Kid

Tweet

I am not a racist. I bring that up because I get labeled as one all the time because I happen to be white and I am a republican. By the way, it is NOT a racist party. But that's for another day. My mother called me to warn me. We live in a predominantly white neighborhood even though the neighbors to the right of me are mostly black. The boyfriend is white though, although if I am being fair he thinks he is black. I won't get into details here but can elaborate in comments. The black woman who lives there is multiple times more friendly than he is. He's actually a jerk if you ask me. Not part of the story though. My mom lives down the street from me if that is an important detail, and she called to warn me that there was a "black kid that showed up at her door with his arm in a sling and an old lawnmower." "He went up the street and might show up at your place," she told me. She said she got a call from her neighbor as well that the "kid was on the prowl and to be aware." She heard a knock on the door and went to answer, saw him, and slammed the door and called the cops. But she did see the lawnmower. "What did he say," I asked my mom. She told me she never gave him the chance. She felt threatened and slammed the door and called the cops. I asked my mom, "What if he's just a kid out trying to make some money cutting lawns?" "He's up to no good," she said. "I could tell." I have long said that I do not believe that racism is alive and well, but I DO acknowledge that there are biases in certain communities and with certain people. My mom obviously comes from another time. I can't help but wonder if the kid has no ill intent at all, but is just out trying to make an honest buck. Getting the door slammed in his face has to be a devastating experience, especially when we are trying so hard to teach minority kids that they have a place in this world. Maybe he WAS up to no good. But what if he wasn't? What if he really just wanted to cut grass for someone? What impression does this leave on that kid? How does he view himself in the world when a door gets slammed in his face not because he is trying to do something wrong, but GOOD? I have no idea what the kid was up to. But from what I heard it seems all he was up to was trying to be helpful and make a few bucks. I am not angry at my mom for her reaction. But I do feel for the kid. If he had showed up at my door I would have at least asked what he wanted and if he would have said, "Do you need your grass cut?" I'd have said sure, asked how much, let him do it, and been thankful for him doing it. Never in my life have I ever viewed a black person and thought immediately, "up to no good." It just gives me a little bit of pause that a kid might have been prowling the block looking for WORK only to have the cops called on him. And it makes me feel really bad for him.