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You Don’t Call the Police on Poverty
by Lamont Lilly | @LamontLilly | NewBlackMan (in Exile)
I arrived at the Durham Co-op Market Monday morning January 02, 2017 for coffee and to finish some writing. As I approached the market’s front door, a middle-aged Black man standing on the side of the building stopped me and asked for “spare change.” Little did he know, I was four days from ‘pay day’ and had absolutely no money. I was living on a credit card for the next four days. I told him I was out of cash and kept walking.
As I entered the sliding glass doors, one of the cashiers asked, “Is that man still out there asking for money?” I said “Yes, but he’s not posing a threat to anyone. He’s just standing on the side, asking for spare change.” She then informed me that she had already spoken with him once that morning and that the manager had instructed her to call the police.
I said, “Sis, please do NOT call the police. You call the police and that man could lose his life just for asking people for ‘spare change’ this morning.” There were customers standing in line, but I was very adamant about not calling the police, because as I shared with her “that’s exactly how Black lives become hashtags.” http://bit.ly/2iN3abB
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