For clarification, trespassing is a crime, hence why there are signs that say, “if caught trespassing you pay ‘x’ fine.” That being said, upon a first offense, cops will merely request you get off the property. Assuming no vandalism, defamation of property, there will be no charges pressed.
IF said person(s) refuse to get off the property after being asked to leave, they can be arrested. So what install did was legal and appropriate. Regardless of race, I would have done the same. It is my home, there are 5 of you and 1 of me. It is dark outside. You are near my house. I am on foot and without a way of escape. It seems the home exterior was also dimly lit. Should you be pro-active or re-active? Remember, that the details of the situation impact how you respond. If it was well lit (like an outside flood lamp) and you see 5 guys walking through your yard, let them pass. If they are just bs’ing but don’t seem to be intentionally loitering, ask them to move on. Add little to no light, a group of adult males lingering anywhere near your home,and you immediately become defensive.
Case in point. I came home one evening in the winter, it was 7 pm, already black as night. Two men were walking down my street, no biggy people walk all the time. I had just pulled in my garage, got out of my car and was getting ready to close my door. The two men come walking into my driveway, and say “hey buddy.” I’m standing in a well-lit garage, looking out into dark night with two approaching males, I’m tired, its late, and I don’t want bothered. I immediately went on the defensive - who walks around at, enters someone’s driveway to hail them without knowing them? Turns out that before they reached the garage they stated why they were there. It was for a census for water purity or something. I spoke with them for a few minutes and they asked me to fill out a questionnaire, even asked to come into my home “who the f does that?” And no it wasn’t freezing cold outside it was like mid 40’s. I bid them a good night and went about my way. Both men were white, so don’t even bother.
Point is, different circumstances illicit different responses. Different situations will make people uneasy. If I had 5 dudes in my driveway when I’m walking to my home, and I don’t recognize them as I approach you better damn well believe I’ll get defensive and uneasy. I don’t care about race or color. 5 to 1 is bad odds. I may ask them what they are doing - at a distance - and request they leave. If they don’t I call the cops at that point. It all depends on how I perceive the situation.
Now let’s try a different example. My girlfriend comes home and there are five males in our yard. What should she do? We now have a female against 5 males, this is a far different situation than my own. I would want her to call the cops, because she shouldn’t have to deal with that situation. And I don’t give a damn what DarkNinja or any other hardass has to say, bad things happen all the time, you aren’t as tough as you think you are. I’m not willing to take a risk for the sake of being “cool.” I can very easily post multiple articles of people “being cool” that went horribly wrong. You don’t know the person standing across from you and based on their actions, appearance, and demeanor you will profile them. Its a human action, all social classes confirm that fact.
You’re right, you shouldn’t profile someone for being black. But take that same person, add 4 more and place them in a prodominantly white neighborhood (90%+, with 5-7% Asian) and you begin to ask yourself why they are there after dark? Party, maybe, but I know my neighbors and what their friends look like, and the cars they drive. If none of that matches, I’m immediately uneasy, I’d get that way about a group of white males loitering at night too - I already confirmed that. And you can’t claim racist to any of this, because I know exactly what its like to be stared at going into a prodominantly black neighorhood, in fact, I was point blank asked why I was there. Am I not welcome at your gas station?
People need to stop painting the picture of the white monster. People need to also stop making excuses for poor dress. Sorry baggy pants doesn’t cool you off in heat, and showing your underwear doesn’t help dissipate anything. And that goes for whites and blacks. Then tack on not speaking or holding yourself well (again, white or black), and I start to profile. Not my fault you can’t speak like an adult, or show any modicum of respect.
I get profiled, judged, and discriminated every day in Japan, 24/7 non-stop. Do I get upset about it? No. Is it a bit unreasonable, yes. I understand having a Japanese girl walking towards me on the street and walking as far away from me as possible when we cross paths. I’m different, I’m a potential risk, and she’s uncomfortable. Its silly, because I pose no threat to her, but its a precaution she is taking. I get discriminated on the train, people won’t sit next to me many times, whether I’m in a suit or shorts/t-shirt. Now some do because they see me every day on the train, but they didn’t. So with all due respect, I do understand, I’m living it. And with all do respect, get over it. If you want people to be comfortable with you, you need to conform - bottom line. If I wore a mohawk here, I garauntee I would be treated like an animal. Yes, the US is more open then this, but people are comfortable with what they are used to. I’m comfortable around black people, talking to them and hanging out with them. I am not comfortable with having 5 of them show up at night to my home that I don’t know and loitering on my property. Do you see what I’m saying here? I’m uncomfortable because in that particular situation, things aren’t as they normally would be. If every night there were 3 - 5 black guys going for a walk down my street and I saw them, every night, no big deal. Hell, they could be masterminds and trying to de-sensitize me to the fact they are frequenting my neighborhood, but because they do it every day or two, they are now familiar and a part of “normal life.”
How people can not grasp such a simple, social fact, one that has been argued for almost 8 pages is beyond me. And X, if you have a wife/girlfriend/whatever I garauntee you would not want her being as brave and forward as you. Knowing what you know, and I know about Houston (I’ve been there, and I have co-workers who live there) some things are worth the risk and some arten’t, and those risks escalate for women.
