Did Racism Rear It's Ugly Head On This Commuter Train?
A popular ex-NBA player and celebrated poet/activist took to Facebook to describe one of the indignities that black men face everyday, as a white woman refused to let him sit next to her on a crowded train — only to give the seat to a white man moments later.
According to Etan Thomas — who played most of his 9-year career with the Washington Wizards before going on to become an accomplished poet and speaker on the responsibilities of fatherhood — got on a local train recently. Seeing few seats available, he asked a young white woman if he could take the empty seat next to her.
“I ask this lady if I could sit next to her (very politely and I soften my voice as to not frighten her) and she says someone is sitting here,” he wrote . “So I go to the next seat. Now, less than 2 mins later a man (who happens to be white) asks if he can sit there and she says why sure let me move my stuff.”
That was when he confronted her.
“I ask ummm mm did you just not want ME to sit next to you ? Were you scared ? Not comfortable with a Black Man sitting next to you?” he explained. “And she says 
smh don’t pull the race card stuff with me I dated a Black guy in college.”
The man who had taken the seat grew uncomfortable listening to conversation and offered to move, leading Thomas to say it was okay, but then Thomas told the woman that he was going to take a picture to share with the world — and things took a turn, but in an unexpected way.
“So then she says did you just take a pic of me? Well I’m going to tell the conductor that you’re over here illegally taking pics of ppl without their consent,” he recounted. “So the conductor came up and said hey Etan Thomas love what you’re doing in the community loved you with the Wizards big Cuse fan man the Knicks sure could use you …. And I said was there something you wanted to tell my man?”
According to Thomas, “And she rolled her eyes smh some ppl I tell ya.”
Below is the picture Thomas took of the woman –and the man who took the seat, but obviously wanted no part in what happened afterward.
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This is one where total proof is lacking, yet the nagging implication is clearly there.
Ya she must be prejudiced towards tall people the guy is 6 foot 10 inches. Would you want to be crammed in next to him if you had the choice?
We'll have the answer when a 6'10" white guy wants to sit next to her.
Good for her apparently her creep detector was spot on.
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