Altering Public Space in Ugly Ways
Altering Public Space in Ugly Ways
In his essay ?Black Men and Public Space?, Brent Staples attempts to introduce people to something most all are guilty of, but pay little attention to. Using accounts from his own and others? experiences, Staples essay portrays the racist tendency of people to assume black men are potentially violent and dangerous.
Staples discovery of this comes during a late-night encounter. A young white female, whom Staples labels ?my first victim? (197), was walking down the street in front of Staples and was not comfortable with the space he provided for her. After a couple of glances back and changes in her pace, she soon began running and disappeared down a side street. Of course, Staples had no intention of robbing or in any way harming this woman. He was just taking a walk, just as she was. Nevertheless, this was a fairly well to do neighborhood. Apparently, this woman figured that if a black man did find himself in this part of town, he was most likely up to something. Not wanting any trouble, she decided to get out of harm?s way.
In another illustration, Staples describes an instance
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