Oh the places you'll go...

So, I was planning on writing about the JFK Library, or the the wonderful BBQ experience I had, or the lessons I learned from The Year of Living Biblically, (or some random interaction with a young woman and her "body guard") but I had an incident...

As I left the Ruck, at a fairly early time (before 10) and was headed to the ATM to get cash to take a cab home and I heard someone yelling "Hey Lemon*!" (*Lemon is what I am using instead of the racial slur that was being used. Think about it for a minute.) Somehow, as I was walking, I knew that the "Hey Lemon" was for me.

So, I was at the ATM at the Bank of America, trying to use my card to get into the foyer (my card is beat...yes, I have ordered a new one), and failing, and a young (I am thinking 15) African American man came up to me and...

Spoke in complete gibberish and then ran off.

As he was running off, I yelled out, "Come back here."

He came back.

"What did you say?", I asked.

He responded with the same gibberish about throwing signs and such...

Then I said, "Let's talk like men."

"You wanna talk like men?"

I put out my hand, told him my first name and I asked him to speak in English. (Yes, I know, I am not being culturally sensitive, I could give a damn about that.)

He explained that he was sent to beat me up because I was in a girl's apartment and I was flashing signs indicating that I was a Crip.

I asked how he knew that.

"Because you are wearing a blue shirt and have a backpack"

"Well, my shirt is black and look at me."

He then explained that he was paid to jack up the person that committed the aforementioned affront.

Because he was in a gang and he was homeless...there were other things as well.

But...this kid was willing to engage in fisticuffs with someone whom he did not know and had at least 80 pounds on him because he needed the money.

What does that say about the city of Troy? What does that say about poverty? What does that say about America?

What does it say about me that I was not willing to take the threat of a beatdown from a young soldier in Troy's Blood "Army" seriously and that when I asked to talk like a man he responded? I know his name, by the way, but...why bother outing him?

You know why he responded? Because I was not afraid (maybe stupidly) and I treated him like a fellow human being.

I don't have an answer to urban poverty and I cannot speak to the answers that the "experts" offer. All I know is that I saved myself from someone attempting to kick my ass because I treated them as a fellow member of the human race.

What would you have done?

(And while this was happening, HJ77 called and I sent her to voicemail. Yes, I did check my phone while this was happening, it is what I do, and then I called her back to explain what had happened. I think I may have freaked her out.)

Edit: A number of people have pointed out to me that what I did, essentially escalating the conflict was dangerous and stupid. In hindsight, it may have been, but I was angry. Not scared but angry. Too often we are faced with situations where we do nothing and we do not get angry about things that are wrong. Would I act the same way given the same variables, yes. However, I am going to modify my behavior and work so these things do not have to happen. What does these incidents say about out society?