The bizarre Cracker Coup at the Capitol really bothered me, and I was struggling with it for most of the day. I do want to make sure that it is in perspective for everyone, though, so I'm going to tell you a short story about a young man in my videography program (which doesn't

exist anymore - another story to tell) who shared this when we were talking about the police and respect one day. There was a disconnect happening between the (mostly white) adults working in the program and the kids, who were Black and mostly working class. They would say that

the cops were always treating them bad and the adults would push them for another story of something extreme. It's like the conversation with the cop who interrogated one of them for walking down his own street wasn't enough. So this young man said what they dealt with all the

time was like what happened to him one summer at the park when his family had a barbecue. They were just getting ready to eat and had put all the food out on a table they brought when this small group of cops walks over and one of them says "Oh, you're getting ready to eat?" No

one says anything and he says "looks good" and sits down in the middle of the table. Now, you know how these park barbecues are. It's not like there's a lot of room. Cop basically took over the whole table. And then proceeded to eat their food. Other cops from the group (he said

there were 3 or 4 of them, he said) started taking food. And the family is just standing there watching.

When as a white person you see an invasion of space like the coup, it is shocking, & it should be shocking. But part of the surprise is because your boundaries are respected.

You may have to lock your doors, but cops never come in with guns drawn. No one comes in and literally eats your lunch.
The Capitol Cracker Coup is the kind of presumption white people enjoy in a country with a continuum. On the opposite end are citizens with the same rights but

not, who can't even be sure they won't be treated like second class citizens at their own barbecue. So think about what that scene looked like through those eyes as you talk about it.