Black Men and Public Space

“Black Men and Public Space” (1986) and essay written by Brent Staples, describes the unfair accusations declared about black men. Staples develops his thesis using examples of how black men are treated and how was personally treated. Staples explained how he felt about being labeled and accused in order to make his readers think about racism. He forms a very personal relationship with his audience.

                When reading the essay, I began to think of the times where I had been afraid of someone on the street, and they happened to be a black man. I assumed they were up to no good, and walked away. Staples opened my mind up and made me think about the other person. I never thought that someone in the streets that late could be minding their own business. I might think differently next time there is a similar situation.

                Staples really opened up his reader’s minds to see the other side of things. A black man’s point of view is entirely different than a white man’s. “I could cross in front of a car stopped at a traffic light and elicit the thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk of the driver-black, white, male or female-hammering down the door locks.” He was an innocent man, walking the streets, constantly being accused of being someone he was not. People feared him without knowing anything about him.

               

  By: Rachel Nabors

Thirty-Eight Who Saw Murder Didn't Call the Police

Thirty-Eight Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police by Martin Gansberg is a short story describing the murder of Catherine Genovese.  The murder of Ms. Genovese happened in Kew Gardens in Queens, New York. Gansberg describes almost every minute from the time Mrs. Genovese arrived home from work, then being stabbed by her killer, to witnesses in her apartment building not calling 911 until she was already died.

            Around 3:20 am one morning is when Ms. Genovese’s night mare all started. She was coming home from work and was headed up to her apartment, when she noticed a man at the end of the parking where she parked. She knew something was not right, so she started heading in the other direction, when the man came up behind her and grabbed her. The man stabbed her once and Ms. Genovese screamed for help. Her neighbors in the apartment turned on their lights and people looked and one man yelled “Let that girl alone!” The man left and Ms. Genovese tried to go to her apartment. The killer returned a second time, found her and then stabbed her again. Ms. Genovese screamed “I’m dying.” People in the apartment again turned on their apartment lights and looked but the killer fled. But, not knowing what was going to happen next, Ms. Genovese’s night mare got even worse. The killer returned for the last time, leaving Ms. Genovese to die. He stabbed her for the last time; the last stab is the one that end up killing her. Once she was died, her neighbors then decided to call the local police.

            The police cannot figure out why the neighbors did not call them. When the police received the phone call, they were at the crime scene in two minutes. The cops believe if someone would have called in when they first heard Ms. Genovese scream, then they might been able to have saved her life. The police officers asked some of her neighbors why they did not call in and some of them said “I didn’t know” or “I was tired.”

            This to me is unbelievable. I cannot see how thirty-eight people can witness a murder and not one call the police. They may not have seen the young lady, but when you hear someone scream early in the morning, something probably is wrong. In my opinion whether, they did or didn’t know what was really going on, the neighbors should have called the police. It is always in my opinion better to call the cops and be on the safe side then not call and something terrible happen. For example, my mom and I left our house one morning an noticed a suspicious car on our road. We called the cops to report them. We don’t think that they were up to anything but we were not sure. They could have been there to rob a house or something; who knows. So, that is why it is always good to keep your eyes open and pay attention to your surroundings. 

By: Brittany B.