Black and White part two: Am I Trayvon Martin or am I George Zimmerman?

In my twenties I participated in Chinatown Crime Watch.  Chinatown stayed open later than the rest of Boston, and had been a place where non-Chinese would come to commit crime. There were street drug transactions, street prostitution, hand bag snatching and other petty crimes against elderly Chinese residents. Rapes and beatings were part of the norm in the summer. Occasionally, elderly would die from a beating. I have spoken to restaurant workers who had to make a living under these conditions and heard their stories.

Crime Watch grew from a few business owners who got hit hard carrying upwards of $10,000 cash on them. It always came down to money. The idea behind Crime Watch was initially pitched as a way, “to protect the economy of Chinatown. We make it safe for tourists to come in go to restaurants spend money, etc.  When businesses profit, the community benefits."

As a resident, I cared more about my neighbors than the businesses and patrolled dark alleys to discourage a rape, assault or snatch and grab. Most of the other members were middle aged or even elderly. I was a version of George Zimmerman but none of us carried guns and we could not stop serious criminals making drug transactions.  Did I profile people? Yes.

Have I been subject to the same suspicions? Yes again. I was fifteen and stopped outside the steps to my apartment by a man flashing a badge and claiming to be neighborhood watch. He was still in his car and some distance from me. I thought, “If I attack this stranger from this distance, and if an unseen gun is drawn, I’m dead. If I run to the steps, and the unseen gun is already drawn, I am also dead.” So I just went with his “neighborhood watch” story, even though the projects we lived in had paid security guards. After explaining we were standing in front of where I live, we parted ways.

Why is it we’ve become threatened in our own communities by our own? Is there not a way to bring the community together and keep it safe that is inclusive of our young men instead of isolating them as something to be feared?  Armed patrolling driven by fear will not solve our problems.  My Crime Watches became ones I did without the vest, and more about building bridges between young people and community members.  I really do believe there is a way to bring the idea of neighborhood watch and all that pent up energy of youth into community growth and safety. Young people, with the guidance of adults, could be a major part of the solution. But that solution will never happen if they are seen by those same adults as part of the problem.