Friends, This was set up as a day to be purposefully positive. I was honored to be asked to evaluate a speech by a Toastmaster Friend, Tamara Hamilton, She spoke at a luncheon at the National Democratic Women's Democratic Club off Dupont Circle in Washington DC.
Ms. Hamilton's stirring, eloquent and positively provocative speech was entitled From Watts to Washington. Ms. Hamilton's presentation covered personal connections to the 1955 Montgomery, Alabama Bus Boycott and The Watts Riots. Tamara's speech addressed courage, family support, people caring for and daring to act on behalf of others. It was amazing!
I then headed back to My Inner Suburb neighborhood. I stopped off at the bank and then at a Nearby Mickey D's for a small cup of coffee. A cup of coffee that I wish I had NOW decided to avoid.
I went to the rest room just before I order my coffee. As I exited that Men's Room, I was confronted by a stocky, loud and very beligerant elderly whit woman. She was waving a tick cane in the air in front of me. " There is a man with a child in the stall. Do something." It was clear to me that I might be assaulted by her if I tried to force my way past her. I also could see that there was a chance that she might be challenging a person intending to do ill to a child.
I walked closer to the stall listening for any clues- if I heard a clue , a cry for help or other aural evidence that a vile act was underway, I would have intervened.She told me to open the stall. I knew if I did that in nothing was going on that was improper, I might be in a critically nasty situation- as that man might take out his embarrassment on me.
I left the bathroom telling the antagonized women that I would get the manager. I talked a reluctant manager into intervening. It turns out that this was a grandfather and his very young granddaughter. This woman then loudly berated the grandfather ordering the little girl to get away from him.The irate woman accused the manager with aiding a criminal act. She spent another few minutes demanding that the police be called in to deal with this matter while still down dressing, without mercy or pause, the grandfather. After awhile, The manager walked away and did not call the police. I suspect if the police had come the woman would have been STERNLY TOLD that she must not create a disturbance and potentially start a riot at any time in the future.
At one point, She disengaged with him and told a multi-ethic throng- Asian, Hispanic, Black and Muslim that they were disgusting and dreadful to live among and deal with I was reminded of a bus ride I had less than a week ago. An elderly man loudly declared that no one wearing any type of headcovering should EVER be allowed to ride a bus and that he, over the last few years, had decided to not allow any " Arab" doctors or nurses to treat him. I call such people " Time Castaways"- They are not able to deal with things as they are are today. They feel furious, victimized and often enraged about this and can become menacing and respond with verbal and/ or physical violence when they see behavior or people they are totally displeased with and by.
This was very much true of my boyhood neighborhood in the Bronx. I saw a lot of ugly arguments and acting out when people felt that they were needing to live with people that they, for what ever reason, found intolerable to be in close proximity to.
My own father said that " Rich Jews enjoyed bringing misery to poor people- especially to anyone who wasn't white." My mother loved to berate and insult publicaly anyone not being able to trace their ancestry to Northern Europe. My child abuse became far more intense and dangerous when my parents fely " put upon" by those they loathed. Being trapped and threatened by this hate -monger today was what I did not need today!
I've truly related that the inner suburbs of DC are distubing like the inner city in myriad way. The simmering resentments and feuds included. Having an out of control woman giving me orders and using a stick to attempt to enforce compliant makes memories of being 5 re-appear in my head.
I do hope, I can't do so now, I will eventually live somewhere where these encounters are EXTREMELY rare!
- Johnny -
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