11/6/05

Let me start off by saying I wish I could believe that race is nothing more than a sociological construct, as so many of our ignorant "scholars" project..... I recently moved to Harlem, the birthplace of the Black uprising in the North-East post-antebellum America, only to be confronted by a few stereotypes that haunt our culture even in 2005. It is my belief that we in "America the Beautiful" live in a caste society; granted not one as restrictive as the Indian & Hindu, but a burgeoning one nevertheless.
In my first 2 months here in New York I mainly stayed in the "good" areas like UWS, Gramercy Park, Flatiron, and places where people lived with similar incomes. I had no problems moving to Harlem seeing as though I was raised in the projects the first 7 years of my life, and don't feel as though any living experience could be worse than that. However, I did not know I would be treated like a prosecuted criminal, although I have no police record to speak of. Every store I went in on the UWS, or one of the other comparable neighborhoods I listed to shop, I was NEVER asked to leave my belongings at the door. There were times I had huge duffel bags and backpacks with me when I went in a store, and not once was I asked to relinquish them in order to continue my shopping experience at that retailer. In Harlem its a completely different story. Every single store I go into (even the supermarkets) I have to surrender my belongings to some un-qualified "security" figure, before I'm allowed to peruse the under-stocked, over-priced, establishment. Every time I enter a store in Harlem, I feel like i'm being reminded of some probation stipulation I'm prone to breaking, or that i'm black, therefore poor, and therefore guaranteed to be a thief.
When I ask the saleslady (a latina) what she thinks of this policy, she comments "it's fine, they do it to everybody". IT IS NOT FINE. The only "everybody" they do it to are people who live in the community...and since its Harlem guess who lives in the community? Black and Brown people alike are subjected to this insulting practice because we are the people who live over here. It is in my experience that if you sit down quietly and accept what's handed to you without even questioning the reasons behind it, people will dish out anything to you; as long as you're willing to accept it. I firmly believe this is one of those instances where if all the black and brown people of my community mobilized together to demand this practice be stopped, we would see results. After all, we are the only customers they have, and without us they would go under very, very, quickly. I know that the reason that this isin't done in those "good" neighborhoods isin't because White people don't steal, its because they won't allow it. I guarantee if they tried to enforce this practice in Gramercy Park, there would be a strong outcry from the community, and they would stop at nothing to end this policy.
I know you're supposed to pick your battles wisely, but it doesn't have to be a battle. Why are we not given the same respect as people of other races, or income levels? Why is it we believe that it happens to "everybody" as the girl stated, and therefore its ok? Why is it today we are so apathetic to what troubles our race, when just as recent as 40 years ago our ancestors were being hosed and clubbed to death to fight those injustices? I wouldn't have a problem with the practice if it were done in every neighborhood; if when I went to Park Avenue South they took my bags at the door to Morton Williams. I know that I seem crazy as a betsy bug when issues like these raise my ire, but i'm just passionate about living in a better world; starting here at home by making my country a better place for African-Americans to live.