This morning, after morning prayers, we watched from across the street, as the "white" US Marshalls surrounded an apartment, at 7:00am in the morning, to arrest the only african-american person on our block. they brought him out, peacefully, with only his pants on. his tattoos were raging, like Tupac Shakur.

now, they had a warrant, and it was no surprise that he has been charged with some kind of drug trafficking or something, because that is what several houses on our block are doing. which, however, is also the weird thing. the white drug dealers and prostitutes across the street, in particular, have people in and out all the time - much more so than this guy.

whether or not true racism is involved in the event, is not necessarily the point...but rather, the overt symbolic nature of the event, certainly implicates that inequality is still an everyday reality for non-white peoples, in particular.

also...we had a church serve us lunch today at lower lights. and yet again, though non of us, white social workers and ministers, would be recognized as racist - we were still served by an African-American (the only one in the room), who had fixed the food himself, and is trying to start a catering company. he was a nice guy, and he wanted to serve us - but it, again, was just so awkward to see a bunch of white people sitting around being served by a black man.

apparently, he was the only one in the room, who came to serve, not to be served.