Today I walked through my mother's community and saw a neighborhood watch person

[Happyhippychick]

Not kidding. I'm visiting my mom in suburban NY and I went for my daily walk, I wandered up the street and into a gated section of the community. The guard didn't glance my way. I walked up to the house and asked if it was okay for me to walk around and he said "absolutely!"

The irony of it hit me. I'm a skinny white woman, late 40's. über priveleged.

I turned around. But not before I commented to the guard about how lucky I am that I can walk through a strange neighborhood and not have to worry about being shot. It doesn't feel right and it's not fair. The guard was black and he looked so sad when I pointed it out.

I was so struck by the parallel I wanted to share.

[ashling]

1. Thank you for sharing

[obliviously]

3. I am sure if you wanted to come in and "walk around" on a daily basis

He would want a cut of the action.

[angstlessk]

4. I say Treyvon left the complex, went to the store, and upon returning

discovered all the houses looked alike..and he had to look at the addresses to find out his father's home...

and if dickweed Zimmerman had stayed in his truck the police would have found out that the boy was just confused as to which home was his.

[TorchTheWitch]

5. he's a security guard not neighborhood watch

Neighborhood watch participants don't go on patrol. All they do is keep an eye out for their neighbors and call about anything they find to be suspicious as they go about their daily lives. That's it. It's just neighbors having an awareness of their community and willing to call police about anything suspicious going on and watching out for their neighbors. Nothing different in how communities used to be naturally.

The guard you encountered was a security guard paid to do a security job. You would have had no idea if he was just part of neighborhood watch since no one in neighborhood watch wears a uniform or should be questioning or detaining anyone even in a gated community. That's why many gated communities hire security guards to control who is allowed to enter.

Personally, I think such gated communities are creepy. I have no desire to have a hired guard paying attention to my comings and goings, who my visitors are or questioning my visitors or knowing what my visitors are doing there with me.