I don't understand people. There are a hell of a lot more white people around here that I would be afraid of than any of the blacks. Two white men are in prison here for beating a black man just because he is black. I'll never understand why people hate and fear those who are different.

Unfortunately we may all be to blame at some level. We need to learn to recognise and difuse these situations as teaching moments not just react after the fact with disgust. Its like what we learn in first aid classes; most people will likely think someone else will help. Its up to us to check with the victim and see if they need help and if so then ensure they do get the help they need.

Letting even seemingly small signs of racist behavior go gives that act the ability to grow. So let's all speak up and stand up for those who are discriminated against as well as ourselves.

Trump aggravates the situation, but so does religious fanaticism. For example, 'They' belong to an inferior church.

Thanks for posting this. I ive with mixed-race teens. They’re subjected to racial harassment at school, by neighbors, in stores where they’re followed by security. Our 18-year-old boy was stopped in his car by police 4 times in a 3-week period for bogus reasons—“you look lost” was twice given as a reason. He didn’t get a ticket on any of those occasions. Once a neighbor in our upscale neighborhood stopped him when he went to our private community lake. “You don’t belong here.”

It’s not just situations with police, although those encounters often end up with unarmed dead brown people. It’s built into our institutional systems and into all of us in ways we fail to recognize. We are complicit in violence against brown people because we perpetuate the status quo.

Understanding our white privilege, working hard to recognize it, to call it out when we see it happening, humbling ourselves and treating all people as sacred represents some of what we can to to break the systems that are fixed against people of color.