Jeff Myers
Philadelphia, PA
I’m 35 and growing up in Philadelphia we always lived in mixed neighborhoods. I can remember being the victim of a crime 4 times in the last 5 years and every time it was a young black man/boy who was the aggressor. I grew up with the inclination to cross the street when i saw a black man walking on my side of the street. I know it’s not a laughing matter but it almost seems funny that the national media is making it to be a crisis that black me should fear all white men because they might shoot them for being black. I heard one woman on NPR this morning saying that she doesn’t want her college age son (a black man) to go on his morning run in their predominantly white neighborhood for fear he will look suspicious. Well he doesn’t have Zimmerman to thank for that! He has the majority of the prison system to thank for that. Most of our prisons are filled with dark skinned men. I know it hurts but it is a fact. Just like its a fact that I might be in danger because of what Zimmerman did because I’m white. We cannot blame our fears on what we think other people are thinking. So Zimmerman shot Martin. That is a horrible tragedy….. BUT.. I didn’t shoot him.. But I still have to live with these young black men thinking that white men might shoot them. Just like there are white people thinking that the black man might rob them. It’s just something we live with.
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