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Comment by hasenj | Hacker News Reader

I did not mean to imply that only black people act shady.

BUT, if someone who looks very suspicious based on their appearance and behaviour (mannerisms, language, choices of clothes, tattoos, etc) it's normal and dare I say _healthy_ for residential (family type) neighborhoods to be suspicious of them.

If they also happen to be black, they might want to use the race card "OMG You suspect me because I'm black? Racist! How dare You!" etc, but who cares.

I am honestly surprised by the down votes my comment received.

If you let criminals into your neighbourhood because you're scared of being called a racist, something is wrong with you.

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> If they also happen to be black, they might want to use the race card "OMG You suspect me because I'm black? Racist! How dare You!" etc, but who cares.

I'd say this might be an interesting moment for self-examination. If their primary reaction is outrage then they're probably not a criminal after all. Maybe think again at why you suspected this innocent person of acting shady. Maybe learn from it so you don't make the mistake again.

"who cares" isn't really a very community-minded reaction when you've just accused one of your neighbours of being a criminal.

The problem is how you define acting shady. If you're definition is people of one demographic generally dress this way therefore I think it's suspect you have an issue. If you're definition is someone who doesn't dress or act the way you, or the people around you do, again you have a problem.

Also let's keep in mind that this is the safest the world has ever been especially in America meaning statistically if you're assuming someone is up to no good based on their appearance or dress you are almost guaranteed to be wrong.

A whole lot of people's standards for "suspicious dress and behavior" basically boil down to "wearing a hoodie while black." See Treyvon Martin, who was literally murdered for walking down the street, and his killer acquitted based on nothing but his own testimony. So when people start talking about black men being "suspicious" without further explanation, the rest of are inclined to be skeptical.

And, really, "dressing suspiciously" is often bullshit no matter who's involved. As a white kid I got hassled for wearing a trenchcoat, and that was just as stupid as anything else. Adding race into it only makes it worse.

Yep, I wouldn’t want these folks as neighbors. Pattern matching is common sense and the safety of your family/self and your property trumps strangers’ feelings.

Yeah, well, guess what? If they're your neighbors, they have as much right to live in peace as you and your family do.

And if you have an issue with (as the parent you agreed with) their language, clothing choices, tattoos, then frankly, you need to do something about it - and "encouraging people to keep a watch on them", calling the police for suspicious behavior (where "suspicious" is this vague hand-wavy synonym for "I don't like them") is not it.

And trying this emotional appeal to "well, my family's safety is more important than some rando's feelings" (your exact words) is BS caging your words. Maybe you should move then? Much as you'd like them to move, and are trying to make it uncomfortable for them to be around. Hint: you have no more right to be there than your neighbors do.

And lest you suggest that maybe I need to be exposed to more mental illness, violence, sociopathy or otherwise, like you say you have, to come to a 'better' understanding / enlightenment, well... I deal with all those things, all the time, working in EMS as well as IT.

> Yep, I wouldn’t want these folks as neighbors.

Which folks? The ones who dress funny and have tattoos? We don't want you as neighbors either. The difference is that I don't call the cops when I don't like the way my neighbors dress.

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