The White Guy At The Black Lives Matter Rally

It wasn't the smartest move Jim could have made.  He took a trip to Chicago with his brother.  He always wanted to go.  Jim was politically a Republican and a Trump supporter, and he was somebody who hated racism.  He'd seen enough of it growing up.  He was probably guilty of poor comments from time to time, but he never really meant anything by it.

The news was always reporting things about Black Lives Matter, and he was disturbed by the footage he'd seen of police brutality against blacks.  When he started looking online, he discovered that whites were treated the same way by some police officers.  It was bad for blacks, but in his opinion, it was an issue of some police officers taking things too far.

Jim had seen blacks get treated poorly in the south, and he hated it.  He'd watched hard workers get passed over for raises and promotions simply because of the color of their skin, and he once quit a job because of that.  "People are people, " he would say.  "It doesn't matter what color you are.  Most people just want a fair shot in life."

Jim headed to the Black Lives Matter rally.  Maybe it wasn't the best choice he could have made to wear a Make America Great Again ball cap, but he had just seen Donald Trump pledge millions of dollars in support for black businesses in inner cities.  Surely the people would give Trump a break over that, right?

Tyrone noticed Jim walking past him, and he couldn't resist the temptation to say something.  "Yo man, you lost or something?  This ain't no Trump rally."

Jim nervously smiled at him.  "I know.  I just wanted to come out and support yawls rally."

The tall black man with the dread locks laughed.  "Yeah, right.  You're lost.  Better turn around and go back.  My friends might not be as nice to you as I am."

"No really, I came here to support y'all."  Jim looked around and couldn't help but notice the stares.  It looked like he was unwanted here.  "I don't think it's right what's going on with black people and all that."

Tyrone shook his head.  "Man, what the hell do you know about the black struggle?"

"Well, " Jim was starting to feel like it might not have been a good idea to come here.  "I don't know what it's like to be black, but I've seen how y'all been treated where I come from, and I don't like it.  I knew a guy.  He was gonna get a promotion.  He deserved it, but they passed him over for me."

"You better get out of here, " said another black man as he stepped up to Jim.  "We don't need some white boy who got the job a black man deserved coming around here pretending he gives a damn about us."

"For your information, um, " he looked at the the muscular black man.  "What is your name, sir?"

"What's it to you, whitey?"

"Well, I like to know who I'm talking to is all, " he replied as he held out his hand.  "My name's Jim.  Nice to meet you."

Tyrone laughed.  "That's Darrell."

"Oh, " he replied turning back to the man in front of him.  "Anyway, I quit my job that day, Darrell.  I knew James, and he was a good man.  He deserved that promotion.  I don't think it's right when a man don't get a fair chance.  I'm with you brother.  You know, my girlfriend in college was black."

"Shit, " Darrell replied sarcastically.  "You was probably just hitting that, and you dumped her when you got out of college."

Jim shook his head.  "It wasn't like that.  She didn't want to come to Alabama with me."

"Can't blame the girl for that, " Darrell retorted.

"And she thought her family wouldn't accept me if I moved to DC with her, " he added.

Darrell grabbed the hat from Jim's head.  "What's with the hat?  You got a death wish or something?" 

"Trump's trying to help y'all."

"Yeah, help himself you mean, " Tyrone replied.  "Make white America great again."

"No, " Jim shook his head.  "He's pledging money to help black businesses in inner cities.  He wants to see everybody succeed."

Darrell looked at the hat and put it on his head.  "You really believe that shit, don't you whitey?"

"That's one of the reasons I voted for him, " Jim replied proudly.  "He says everybody is gonna get a chance to succeed.  That's how it should be."

Three black men walked over to Jim, who was now surrounded.  One of them shoved him into another one.  "You gonna get it now you racist."

The other man shoved him back, and it was about to escalate.  "Let's kick his ass.  He ain't from around here.  Ain't nobody would give a damn about him."

Darrell and Tyrone broke it up.  "Yo, look guys, he ain't hurting nobody.  Back off."

"You sticking up for this racist piece of shit Tyrone, " one of them asked?

"No man, " he replied.  "He ain't racist.  Ignorant, maybe, but he ain't racist.  Just leave him alone.  Let him come to the rally.  See how he feels about us after that."

The other three backed off and Jim extended his hand to Tyrone.  "Thanks man.  I was about to get a whooping."

Darrell laughed.  "A whooping, hell.  They might not have been able to identify yo ass after they got done with you."

Tyrone shook his hand  "Hey man, if you gonna stick around, you best stay close to us.  You might not make it out of here otherwise."

Jim smiled.  "Thanks man.  You know, you people are alright."

"Man, what the hell do you mean, you people, " said Darrell with an angry scowl on his face?

Tyrone laughed.  "Knock it off Darrell.  Besides, when he goes back to his friends and tells them a couple of black people saved him from an ass whooping, they won't know what to think."

Darrell chuckled.  "You got a point."  He pat Jim on the back.  "Okay, look man, try not to say anything stupid and just listen.  You'll be safer that way."

"Alright, I got it, " he replied as he was looking at an attractive black woman, who winked at him.

"And don't be hitting on our women, " Darrel added.

"I'm sorry, " Jim grinned, "but when I see a beautiful woman, I can't help but be attracted to her."

Tyrone high fived him.  "I heard that."