Black Men and Public Space

When first starting this passage I had mixed understandings as to what it would be about. It was somewhat close to what I was thinking. I think Brent Staples hits this passage perfectly. This man's occurrences on the street are exactly what happen. People perceive black men with an attitude of hatred and fear. Whether people know them or not, they categorize black people based on their ethnicity. When Staples describes the man's walks at night and the people's reactions to him, it portrays the man as a murderer and violent person. Even though this is what the world has become and we can't help the situation, it is a sad state that Americans judge people based on color. Without knowing everyone personally people begin to place every person from a particular cultural group in the same category. Even though this is not fair and not the way the world should be, it is the way the human mind works to generalize people. I think Brent Staples's story was written very well and portrayed this man's life in a way to come across to people to influence their thinking.