(This is a continuation of the Ironwood Hamilton story line, and a direct continuation of yesterday's freewrite, "Nose Hair.")
"I just met that ****** Stepforth, and I already can't stand him!"
This was the conversation of three of the four lieutenants at the police station in Tinyville, VA a few hours after Mr. Thomas Stepforth Sr. had acted as a citizen witness on a small incident involving some Black and White youth. Captain Hamilton had brought the kids in and called their parents at work to report the incident, and Mr. Stepforth had stayed around to make sure ALL the children received the same fair treatment. He had taken notes. He had questioned procedures. He had given his phone number to all the other Black parents, and explained to them their rights and the rights of their children. He had not left until he was satisfied.
Three of Captain Hamilton's lieutenants were not happy, and were so busy expressing their unhappiness that they had not noticed that the captain had returned from making the lunch run for the office...
"Who does that ****** think he is, anyway? Head just help up so high, tone so firm -- and just expected us to be answerable to him!"
"Got such a high-falutin', seditty attitude about himself!"
"If there is anything I hate, it is an uppity ******!"
Captain Hamilton cleared his throat gently, and his lieutenants almost jumped through the roof.
"Before I deal with the fact that three out of four of you have revealed yourself as racially biased against 28 percent of this town, and therefore will be no further use in fair law enforcement here, let me say this: do we know Mr. Stepforth well?"
"No," said one lieutenant sheepishly.
"Then why the rush to judgment?"
Three out of four lieutenants blushed.
"Oh, we all know. Mr. Stepforth's skin color is the reason. But do you realize that while he certainly has been doing and will continue to do whatever he wants to do today, the three of you are going to be out of a job?"
You could have heard a pin drop in that office.
"I've been through the files, gentlemen. I'm going to have to reopen 45 percent of the cases handled by this office in the last five years. I already knew what the problem was, but now I have heard you for myself.
"Bear this in mind, gentlemen. It used to be that our rush to judgment about Black people was always a trap for them. But Mr. Stepforth is free. Three of you are the ones who have sprung and walked into your own trap."
Photo Credit: Stefano Pollio on Unsplash