Streets Are Not Safe for All

Why was I not surprised at the head-stuck-in-the-sand letter from J.B. Mullins from Huntington Beach on May 26? Perhaps it is because for 10 years I have watched white citizens of Huntington Beach live in their insulated world, refusing to accept the fact that there is danger for people of color by simply walking down the street, even in their own neighborhood.

Mullins states that it is safe for people of any color to walk down the street in Huntington Beach. Tell that to the widow of the African American man who was shot in the chest and killed outside McDonald’s just north of Indianapolis on Beach Boulevard or to the two Hispanic men who were shot in an alley in Huntington Beach and left for dead.

Also, tell that to the family of the young Native American boy who was butchered and almost died at Huntington’s beach near the pier. They were all attacked by white supremacists for simply being.

Also, convince me, a white citizen of Huntington Beach, who witnessed two white skinheads driving down Beach Boulevard last summer who tried to run a young black man’s car off the road while screaming [racist remarks].

Part of the problem with hate crimes is that the white majority do not acknowledge them as occurring, at least “not in their neighborhood.” Just because it is not happening to themselves, their families or their loved ones (all white), they assume that it is not happening at all. This is so untrue.

Let me send a special thank you to the City Council of Huntington Beach for the recent adoption of “A Declaration of Policy About Human Dignity.”

It eloquently expresses the respect and courtesy with which they expect their citizens to be treated by city officials and by fellow citizens. In this regard, they are working hard to make Huntington Beach a better place for all of its citizens.

JEANETTE LAWRENCE

Huntington Beach