Race relations
After a playoff game Saturday night, an out of town nephew and I went to visit a Denver relative (through marriage) from Uganda. There may be a difference in attitude between an “African” who becomes “American", in modern times, as contrasted with African-Americans who hold slave-trade grudges. The difference might help resolve issues where racial culture and stereotyping is a factor.
The talk after the playoff game went racial in a heartbeat. Perhaps there is some truth to the assertion that, “White people don’t understand black athletes or their culture". Folks who know Uganda know how violent things can get if you show up at the wrong location. One thing our conversation identified was the willingness of young athletes to venture into risky territory. Especially young black men.
My relative from Uganda knows a lot of Denver athletes. Because he is a Black professional he can hang around with Black athletes at a social level where conversations about gangs, drugs, and partying, sometimes stereotypes whites. There is no denying some gang deaths have merited more ink than others.
That was not said well. I can’t say it any better. Someone should.
I would bet that my relative from Uganda would sit down with an honest reporter and say it better. Putting one’s family name In a newspaper column is asking for trouble if gangs and ethnic culture are to be openly discussed. Not everyone is as big and brave as Claudie Minor. But I see brave men stepping up to the plate.
I noticed in the “sports column” of Dave Krieger that Minor, and ‘good old Denver District Attorney Norm Early (who ran for mayor of Denver in 1991 and I got to know him as a friend since I ran then also) are having discussions in memory of Darrent Williams. It has been 17 days since the Denver street-murder of #27.
I wonder how Denver media will respond when gang-prevention specialist Rev. Leon Kelly adds a new name to Denver’s gang death list, and bumps Williams off the top of the scroll. I haven’t yet seen the full list of Kelly’s “gang deaths", but I do know the list is long, and it can not include everyone who has died because of drugs and gangs in the Denver metropolitan area.
Kreiger mentioned violence in Baghdad in context to violence in Denver. It seems to me the organizational charts of Iraqi militias is probably quite similar to the hierarchy of gangs in America. It’s time to draw a line in our own sand.
Steve Schweitzberger
Littleton
This letter has not been edited.