Black Men and Public Space By Brent Staples

Brent Staple's essay, Black Men and Public Space, focuses on the common issue of what it's like to be viewed as a criminal all the time. He provides anecdotes to show how people often fear him, a black man, when crossing paths, especially at night. He doesn't particularly point at any one race due to the fact that it happens regardless of race. When walking at night, if someone sees a black man who isn't in a dress shirt,tie, and slacks, he is thought to be a "mugger, rapist, or worse." He speaks of his ability to alter public space as an inheritance because although he may not be a mugger or rapist, there are some black men who have put fear into society's eyes causing people to view black men as dangerous. He says he has grown accustomed to but not comfortable with people crossing to the other side of the street rather than pass him. He has found that an excellent tension-reducing measure is to whistle melodies of great composers as Beethoven and Vivaldi because people don't think a mugger would know such tunes. This is a sad truth because black men have to try extra hard to not get looked at as dangerous on a daily basis. It reminds me of the movie Crash and how people automatically assume that they are in danger in the presence of black men. Black men have to deal the prejudices of society and negate the stereotypes placed upon them often times prohibiting them from acting on instinct. I enjoyed reading this essay because I can relate to incidents such as Brent Staple's when I've been with black males, family or friends.