[Peace] Letter in NG by Greg Springer

[Brian Dolinar]

[image: The News-Gazette.com]   Race of youth cost him his life
Tuesday October 20, 2009

Race did play a role in the horrific shooting of Kiwane Carrington – a Web
search for "shooting unarmed black man" reveals 130,000 hits from cases all
across the country.

People aren't evil or ill-intentioned to have racial reactions. In Malcolm
Gladwell's sociological study, "Blink," he examines the shooting of an
innocent, unarmed, suspicious black immigrant in the Bronx. Factors that
contributed to this tragedy included reacting in haste, police teams –
single cops have better judgment – and the inability to "read" the face of a
suspected perpetrator.

All people making snap judgments – diversity trained or untrained, black or
white – misread character and intention, usually negatively toward people of
color.

Those who are eager to deny any racial element in this case – as some letter
writers did, going so far as to blame a 15-year old who predictably acted
out of fear – really are denying their own responsibility to do the honest
work toward better understanding in our richly diverse society. Instead of
blaming people who wear low-hanging pants and baseball caps backwards, as
one letter writer did, he would be better served to volunteer as a mentor in
the local high schools.

Still, I was impressed by the outpouring of emotion, the honest grief in the
bulk of letters, and The News-Gazette's coverage overall of this sad story.
Kiwane's life and passing should be a lesson to us all, an opportunity for
growth, greater unity and overcoming denial about our racial
misapprehensions.

P. GREGORY SPRINGER

Urbana

-- 
Brian Dolinar, Ph.D.
303 W. Locust St.
Urbana, IL 61801
briandolinar at gmail.com
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