We’ve seen it all too often lately.
The recent spate of people being shot just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time is disturbing, unnerving and downright scary…for everyone! Not one single person needs to lose their life for getting in the wrong car or knocking on the an incorrect door or even asking for courtesy from your neighbor.
It’s an extreme reaction to a minor inconvenience.
It is in times like this I think of my brothers and sisters in media. The men amd women who — all in the name of getting the story — will walk up to people they don’t know to ask them a question. They will ascend the steps to someone’s front porch or stoop to ask if they’re in the right neighborhood or at the right home. all the while not knowing the mood — or the arsenal — that person may have.
There are many reasons that have been given for these “reactions”. Some have postulated that COVID anxiety — fears for one’s safety out in public as the pandemic winds down — may have a lot to do with it. Others who represent victims say the vague interpretations of some states’ Stand Your Ground laws may give people the shielding to send a lasting message.
I ask that you — ALL of you regardless of job or purpose — be wary of your surroundings and who surrounds you. If you can set up the notification function on your Uber app, do it! If you haven’t set up the ‘Emergency SOS’ function on your iPhones and Android phones, do it. If you’re not sure where you’re going, make sure!
I go back to one of my favorite lines from the old TV series Hill Street Blues…
“Hey…let’s be careful out there.”
WELCOME TO MY WORLD!! 