We were talking to a neighbor a couple weeks back who mentioned she'd (correctly) called 911 because a suspicious person was lurking in her neighbor's window. The person doing the lurking happened to be black. Knowing this person as I do, I'm confident she would have called 911 regardless of the person's skin tone. Because no, it's not normal for *anyone* to sneak around a stranger's home, peeping through windows. For this, several neighbors called her out as a racist. And this makes me angry. Most of us (unless you're a sociopath, from what I understand) have a built-in gift of fear, a term coined years back by security expert, Gavin de Becker. That inner sense telling us that something in our environment is wonky, is our body's way of protecting itself. It comes down to basic survival instinct, and it's a good thing to have - similar to how pain tells you something's off with your body. It's wrong to make people feel badly for honoring that gift. You should work to fine-tune it, honor it, own it. It's something that nature / God gave you to keep yourself alive. I'm here to dispel another fear: You are not a racist for calling 911 on someone doing something wrong, and that person happens to be black. My own sense of fear is pretty fine-tuned, and it's very much an equal opportunity gift. Growing up in Chicago in my (much) younger days, when a man would follow me? I felt incredible inner fear: "This is not right, this is not right, this is not right." Trust me, I could care less what color he was. I ran like the dickens to get to safety. (Edited to add: I want to clarify - there's a difference, for example between someone walking behind you in the daytime on a busy avenue, and someone following you for blocks, and every time you turn around, his gaze is firmly planted on you.) To this day, I won't enter an elevator alone with a strange man, regardless of what he looks like. I politely just make something up. Chances are, the person means no harm. But why even take chances? And what is so wrong with wanting to protect yourself? When did it become politically incorrect? Another example - Aside from supporting local law enforcement, I advocate for animals. (Some think it's an odd combination, but it really isn't.) I've written stacks of letters to judges, police districts, and district attorneys over the years, asking them to hold perpetrators of animal cruelty to be held fully accountable. The suspects have been of all ethnic groups - their heinous crimes *equally* sicken me. Never be afraid to speak out against criminals or to put your safety ahead of someone's feelings - regardless of the person's ethnicity. When we second guess ourselves and put political correctness over safety, we risk endangering ourselves and our neighbors. That inner voice likely knows what it's doing. I hope this post makes sense and is accepted in the kind spirit it was intended. It's not the easiest topic to write about, especially in this PC world we inhabit. All the best. --Paula Fitzsimmons