No leadership coming from the top

To The Eagle:

Not sure if I'm glad I'm a white man or embarrassed to wake up still white after all these years. Watching what appeared to be a bored white police officer murder a black man, handcuffed and pleading for his life, is just too much. There were several other officers just standing around to prevent the reasonably concerned citizens from stopping the killing is equally maddening. And then we're supposed to wonder why the black folks riot? Are you kidding me?

This has been going on for nearly ever in this country. Being choked to death by those appointed to protect and serve has become the new lynching and after being basically ignored forever has finally reached the boiling point. And you have the callous audacity to wonder why?

When I was a little kid in the late 1940's, white farmers would put on black face and have little plays at our local Grange over in Fern Prairie. Chances are they had never even met a black person much less shared tea and crumpets or learned anything about them. Amos and Andy were two white guys on the radio pretending to be black and making black people sound stupid. And you still wonder why? Really?

Our extended family has an African man, several mixed blood and a First Nations and Asian. It's almost as though the white side of the family is in the minority but by golly, they all treat us as equals and don't lord over us.

There is obviously no leadership coming from the top as the buck never stops anywhere near there and all responsibility lies elsewhere. Heaven help us.

James Roberts

Cathlamet