“Show me you’re okay shaking hands with a black man”

In NYC doing some business and visiting my son over the weekend. Leaving my hotel to go to dinner prior to seeing The Book of Mormon we’re crossing one of the avenues and there are hundreds of people crossing toward me and others from the side coming through the intersection, Times Square area. My whole line of thinking is “get to the other side and don’t knock anyone over.” I’m 5’ 9” and about 210 pounds.


Suddenly, a hear a guy yelling a me saying (paraphrased) “Hey, hey, I’m talking to you….don’t walk away from me..” And, I turn, and see a young man approaching me from my left flank saying, as he raised his hand, “show me you’re not afraid of shaking hands with a black man.”


My response? I waived my left hand back toward him windmill style and said “**** ***!!!”

I was immediately pissed that he would define our relationship as Black/White (primarily) and then require me to accept his terms of engagement and agree. I don’t have to prove myself to any stranger nor do I have to prove myself to myself either.


What followed was probably 30-40 seconds of (minimal communication) as he came at me harder and I started to explain I was simply trying to cross the street…to no avail. He called me a lot of names (he was within one inch of my face) and told me how he would do severe damage to me and after he was done would do the same to my son (30 year old, 6’ 170 lb male). I remember him saying you’re in NY now and we don’t play – you’re in NY now – and I said “Go Sox” as I’ve always been a Red Sox fan and hate the Yankees.


I realized he was there to provoke me and I looked at him and said nothing. Once the light changed we walked away from him. A sad and unfortunate incident no doubt. Now, the clincher.


After dinner, after watching the Broadway show my son and I were walking back to the hotel and a man said to a totally different person: “Show me you’re not afraid of talking to a black man.”


Someone in NYC is up to some bad shit.

Talk to me in good faith.

Talk to me professionally

I’m good.


Accuse me of racism at the get go and try to muscle that to get me to acquiesce and I’ll have no part in it.

Not because you’re black but because you’re an asshole and your attitude sucks. My concern and reason for posting is not an isolated incident it’s the fact that the same day I heard the same approach to someone else. Someone in NYC is up to some bad shit; and, it won’t end well.

 

Good for you. The point was that THE SAME approach was used by a different person talking to another person. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

 

My son looked me as we were walking by the other person and said “Did he just say that? Because that’s almost exactly what the other guy said to you”.

 

love to have kept walking but we were on an island and the light was against us. Once he was an inch from my face - and I could feel droplets on my skin - I knew he just wanted to provoke me further. That’s when I stopped engaging. Note: I would not accuse him on spitting on me - we were just that close.