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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: E who wrote (3762)	1/28/2001 12:31:30 AM
From: bela_ghoulashi	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

Bland once had an employee named Becky, many years ago, who was kidnapped and raped by two white males. They forced her and her seven year old son into their Broncho at knifepoint just after she pulled into her apartment parking lot from work. It was dark, of course. They didn't simply rape her. They held her for almost seven hours and raped her repeatedly. They terrorized and threatened her with the knife. They placed a brown paper bag over her head as they raped her. All in front of her child, the entire time. They weren't decent enough to place a brown paper bag over his head as well. The next weekend they went out and did the same thing to another young woman. Fortunately, several hours into the proceedings she was able to convince them she had a chronic medical condition that required immediate attention. Bland forgets the precise details, but they were caught because they allowed her to use a telephone to call a friend for medication. Bland won't go into the rest of the story, but suffice to say, he visited Becky in St. Louis a few years ago...well over a decade later. She was still too afraid to go out alone and pick up the mail from her mailbox if it was dark when she got home from work.

To: E who wrote (3762)	1/28/2001 7:55:12 AM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

I am paranoically careful. You be careful, too! Good morning, E. I understand what you're saying to me. I grew up in the New York area and I've been all over the world. I'm so sorry that your sister had that terrible experience. There's so much ugliness in the world. I appreciate your concern for me. If I left you with the impression that I was judging other approaches, I didn't mean to. We all have to do what we think best. I know that every time I clutch my purse more tightly when I pass a young black man I'm sending a message that kid is picking up on--a message that says I assume there's something inherently wrong with him. If I give him a matter-of-fact "good morning," I'm sending the message that I assume him to be a regular citizen like me. (Yes, I realize that in New York no one says "good morning" to anyone.) By my behavior around him, I may be influencing in a tiny way whether he becomes a mugger or a school teacher. I also may be influencing whether he attacks me or someone else with an attitude he doesn't like. We never know what effect our little ripples have on the great sea of life. I try to emit as few negative vibes as possible. I'm not suggesting that I do any of this at a conscious level. Now it's just habit that comes from decisions made 30 years ago. I've been doing it so long that I simply don't see young black men as an automatic danger. Our thoughts influence our behavior and our behavior influences our thoughts. Lest you think I'm completely insane, I will say that I don't go out much at night. It's not that I'm afraid or not afraid. I'm simply a morning person who has expended her day's worth of energy by the time it's dark. If I were a night person, I might behave and think differently. I appreciate your concern for my well-being. Karen