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Pushed around by cops, man sees the other side (Mary Mitchell strikes again)
Chicago Sun-Times ^ | September 8, 2002 | MARY MITCHELL SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST

Posted on 09/08/2002 8:50:52 AM PDT by Chi-townChief

Sometimes the only way to understand how another person feels is to walk in his or her shoes. Recently, Jimmy (and I'm not giving his last name for reasons that will become clear later), a white reader, inadvertently stepped in the shoes most black people walk in every day.

Before I get to his story, though, I need to tell you a little something about Jimmy. At age 32, he probably means it when he says he has black friends. He grew up on the South Side of Chicago west of Western, the imaginary boundary line that 20 years ago separated white homeowners from black homeowners.

Jimmy went to Bogan High School, where he met a lot of black football players, he said, because the wood shop teacher was also the football coach. From time to time, Jimmy would even cross Western Avenue to go to parties.

"Western used to be our dividing line," Jimmy says. "But I remember going to a party once, and this black dude was looking at us like what are [they] doing here? I thought we were going to get our butts kicked. But my friend stepped in. Most of the people there were really cool to us."

He also appears to be the kind of guy who has some degree of racial sensitivity. For instance, he says whenever he travels through small towns, he is turned off by the bold display of Confederate memorabilia.

"We went down to Myrtle Beach, and everywhere we looked we saw the generals of the South. It was like let's go fight the Civil War all over again. I wanted to say: Get over it. You lost. They are free, and it's over," he said.

Still, Jimmy couldn't really understand when his black friends complained about bigoted behavior until his vehicle was hit by an Italian driver in a predominantly Italian neighborhood.

This is what Jimmy says happened:

I was at my father-in-law's house in Melrose Park. We went there to marinate a pig because we were going on a camping trip. We were just getting ready to leave when someone pulled up on the front lawn. They pulled up in the driveway where my van was, then the driver proceeded to back out and slammed into the side of my van. I ran out of the house as they were pulling off. I had to jump in front of the car to stop them.

The driver of the vehicle was his father's 83-year-old neighbor. He had three women in the car, who Jimmy guessed had to be in their 70s. Jimmy was trying to tell them that they had hit his van, and the driver was yelling at him in Italian.

"You hit my van. Give me your insurance card, your driver's license or something," I said. They kept pointing at his license plate and yelling. "Why are you people yelling at me?" I asked. "You hit my car."

Apparently, communication broke down rather quickly.

"The women started poking at me. They were obviously from the old country because when I told them I was p-----, they kept sticking their fingers in my face, and one lady tried to slap me."

At this point, Jimmy said he told his mother-in-law to go inside and call the Melrose Park police.

"Five minutes later, the police come flying up. They sent three squad cars and a motorcycle cop. The first policeman at the scene was listening to me, but then another cop comes up and grabs me.''

"Just do me a favor," the officer said.

"Sure," I said.

"You need to shut up. You need to just shut your mouth," he said.

I was stunned. I have never felt that way probably since I was 10 years old and being punished and yelled at by my father. I didn't do anything to have him talking to me that way. I could see it if I was belligerent, but I wasn't. He put me on my father-in-law's front porch. All the cops were looking at each other and hugging and shaking hands with the other four people. They were on a first-name basis. I was just sitting there, and no one said nothing to me. Instead of being police officers, they were acting like the guy's relatives."

Although Jimmy got a police report and the insurance information he needed, he couldn't shake off the anger.

"It just bothered me all weekend," Jimmy said.

"I can't get that officer out of my head yelling at me and telling me to sit down. Seeing what went on--all those Italians hugging and kissing. It was definitely favoritism. I bet that is how black people feel in a lot of instances," he said.

"I am Polish and white and have lived here all my life. That was the first time I saw things from a black person's perspective," he said. "I was treated like I was the bad guy and not the victim."

After the other driver pulled off (riding up on the curb for nearly half a block, Jimmy says) and the policemen left, Jimmy could slip his own shoes back on.

But they will never feel the same.

"It never hit me," Jimmy said. ''But after what happened to me, I told my wife: 'You know. I bet this is exactly how it is to be a black person in America.' "

E-mail: marym@suntimes.com


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial; News/Current Events; US: Illinois
KEYWORDS: policebrutality; racialprofiling; whiteethnicguilt
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While most other columnists are commemorating September 11th, Ms. Mitchell comes up with this story (which may be phony) about Jimmy. And the boy has problems.

Evidently, Jimmy goes through life seeing people as ethnic stereotypes: "black dudes", "generals of the South", "all THOSE Italians (maybe Jimmy watches too many episodes of "The Sopranos); and Jimmy, of course, is "Polish and white."

It appears that Jimmy is still acting like he is 10 years old and needs to grow up before he has even worse problems.

1 posted on 09/08/2002 8:50:52 AM PDT by Chi-townChief
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To: BillyBoy; cfrels; chicagolady; Cletus.D.Yokel; Dengar01; Fu-fu2; mikeb704; RedWing9; spintreebob; ..
CHICAGOLAND PING!!!!

Hope to see you later today.
2 posted on 09/08/2002 8:56:39 AM PDT by Chi-townChief
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To: Chi-townChief
My god! We are witnesses to the first white person ever mistreated by the cops. What is this country coming to?
3 posted on 09/08/2002 8:58:39 AM PDT by What Is Ain't
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To: Chi-townChief
"We went down to Myrtle Beach, and everywhere we looked we saw the generals of the South. It was like let's go fight the Civil War all over again. I wanted to say: Get over it. You lost. They are free, and it's over,"

Does this mean you won't be coming back down South again? Darn.

Funny thing is - I live in Tennessee, where a few of the biggest battles were fought - Shiloh, Lookout Mountain, Stones River, Franklin, Nashville...and I'm hard pressed to find any kind of memorial anywhere other than at the battlefield itself. But then, you also find memorials to the Yankee generals as well.

Maybe I should just do a reverse take on his attitude. Everywhere I look I see the generals of the North. It was like "we beat the South, and all we're going to do is keep rubbing it in."

Jimmy, it's like my mama always says - you don't like it down here? Delta has flights leaving every day.

4 posted on 09/08/2002 9:22:22 AM PDT by Tennessee_Bob
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To: Chi-townChief
What do you expect for the jessie's soul mate and home of operation push.
5 posted on 09/08/2002 9:26:20 AM PDT by dts32041
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To: Chi-townChief
'You know. I bet this is exactly how it is to be a black person in America.' "

Funny I had the exact opposite experience.

We had a black lady living in our familiy's building. She was basically a trouble maker from the get go and after not paying two month's rent she was leaving.

Before she left we were going to have the kitchen floor redone. We gave her two days notice a guy was coming to measure the floor. The guy came and she wouldn't let him in. So I went upstairs, with him as he and another neighbor watched. When she opended the door I put my foot in it, told her she had to let him in, we talked, a little then finally she agreed. He measured the floor and left.

about 15 minutes later the cops come. She changed the story saying I pushed her. I of course told them what really happened--that I had not. The neigthbor who watched it all backed me up. And then they called the kitchen repair guy and he said the same.

SO the cops were wavering about what to do and told her so. But then she started yelling that this was because she's black and I'm white, so I spent the next three hours of my life at the Oak Park Police station all for the sake of political correctness.

Somehow I bet if I told Mary Mitchell that story though, she wouldn't repeat it in a column.


6 posted on 09/08/2002 9:36:34 AM PDT by republicman
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To: Chi-townChief
Here's what I sent to Mary!

I read your story with great interest. Thank you. But a couple of questions still persist. You did access the original police report and tried to interview any witnesses, just like any good journalist should? I believe the current standard is two forms of independent corroboration, is that what you followed? I just did not see it referenced in your article. I am confident you did though.

Thanks, it was a good read!
Kirk
7 posted on 09/08/2002 9:39:37 AM PDT by Dark Knight
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To: Chi-townChief
"I can't get that officer out of my head yelling at me and telling me to sit down. ... I bet this is exactly how it is to be a black person in America."

Why doesn't Jimmy ask one of his black friends? What a fruitcake.

8 posted on 09/08/2002 9:42:23 AM PDT by Reeses
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To: Dark Knight
This is the part I can't figure:

"The women started poking at me. They were obviously from the old country because when I told them I was p-----, they kept sticking their fingers in my face, and one lady tried to slap me."

I assume that he's saying he was "pissed." If so, it makes perfect sense for the cop to tell him to shut up especially when he's fighting with old people.
9 posted on 09/08/2002 9:54:33 AM PDT by Chi-townChief
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To: Chi-townChief
Victomology works best when combined with a race card and a lawsuit.
10 posted on 09/08/2002 10:02:27 AM PDT by JoeSixPack1
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Not only is this story bogus but smacks of anti-Italian sterotyping.

Filed under fantasy

11 posted on 09/08/2002 10:12:45 AM PDT by catonsville
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To: Chi-townChief
Even if this story is true this story is irrevelant. It happens everyday all over the country.
12 posted on 09/08/2002 10:35:28 AM PDT by Leper Messiah
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To: Leper Messiah
Oh, my favorite. The old "even if this story isn't true, it still happens" line.

If what you say is true, why not actually find one of these "real" cases?

13 posted on 09/08/2002 10:44:55 AM PDT by ItisaReligionofPeace
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Comment #14 Removed by Moderator

To: Bill D. Berger
If a cop comes up and finds you, a young apparently athletic young man, mixing it up with old women, being told to shut up is probably one of the better outcomes that you could hope for.
15 posted on 09/08/2002 11:13:51 AM PDT by Chi-townChief
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To: Chi-townChief
We're all mafioso. And we make good pizza. :)
16 posted on 09/08/2002 11:19:10 AM PDT by Conservative til I die
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To: Chi-townChief
Big clue.... "This is what Jimmy says happened:"
17 posted on 09/08/2002 11:22:23 AM PDT by Blue Screen of Death
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Comment #18 Removed by Moderator

To: Bill D. Berger
You can say what you want but, in my opinion, trying to prove your machismo against a couple of old women won't get you too far with anyone.
19 posted on 09/08/2002 11:47:54 AM PDT by Chi-townChief
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To: republicman
I sincerely think you should test your theory and send your story to this poor-excuse-for-a journalist.
20 posted on 09/08/2002 12:19:04 PM PDT by justshe
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