Altering Public Space in Ugly Ways
In his essay "Black Men and Public Space", Brent Staples attempts to introduce people to something most all are guilty of, but pay little attention to. Using accounts from his own and others' experiences, Staples essay portrays the racist tendency of people to assume black men are potentially violent and dangerous. Staples discovery of this comes during a late-night encounter. A young white female, whom Staples labels "my first victim" (197), was walking down the street in front of Staples and was not comfortable with the space he provided for her. After a couple of glances back and changes in her pace, she soon began running and disappeared down a side street. Of course, Staples had no intention of robbing or in any way harming this woman. He was just taking a walk, just as she was. Nevertheless, this was a fairly well to do neighborhood. Apparently, this woman figured that if a black man did find himself in this part of town, he was most likely up to something. Not wanting any trouble, she decided to get out of harm's way. In another illustration, Staples describes an instance in which he was delivering a story to the editor of a magazine for which he was writing, and was mistaken
Understanding that the woman did not quite value him as a possible sale, Staples "took a cursory look around, nodded, and bade her good night. "I could only move briskly toward the company of someone who knew me. Most people would rather not take the time to know the background of potential attackers, when avoiding trouble altogether would be the best course of action. "Such episodes are not uncommon," says Staples. "Black men trade tales like this all the time. " (106) While writing for a Chicago paper, Staples walked into a jewelry store in another well-off part of town, and encountered another situation where his skin color came into play. " (200) Staples also points out in the essay that he is not alone in his encounters of this racism. In addition, the fact that he was able to get an education and a good job despite the obstacles provided by his background are commendable. He admits that he understands the fear others have of him. He should be free to take a walk whenever he feels like it, should he not? However, people will always be cautious of anyone who walks the streets in the middle of the night, particularly if they are within a reasonable closeness to harm you. Despite its few weak points, Staples essay serves an important purpose. These incidents force Staples to make an admission though. He also agrees that black men are often the perpetrators of such attacks.
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