CA- The scariest Halloween ever

11-4-2008 California:

Too many of us assume that because the people we know lack violently racist attitudes, such prejudices no longer exist. Our acquaintances, if they are racist, keep such attitudes to themselves because it's frowned upon by polite culture, the new American mainstream.

I learned this Halloween that such attitudes still exist, and that to some, hatred can be worn like a badge of honor.

My wife, my kids and I took a trek to Fortuna to trick or treat with some friends. We visited a nice, suburban neighborhood full of well-maintained homes, nice cars, and meticulously mowed lawns. We found the neighborhood and the people there idyllic, an America straight out of “Better Homes and Gardens,” and we were looking for a fun and innocent Halloween experience for our three kids.

At first, we got exactly that. Throngs of children paraded up and down the streets with their parents, candy bags clutched to their chests, sugar pumping through their veins.

But as we rounded one corner, with our now cacophonous kids in tow, I spotted a man in a Barack Obama mask. My 4-year-old, who out of nowhere three weeks ago declared himself a Barack Obama supporter, pointed him out.

I offered the candidate a good luck nod.

My wife, as always, was more attentive that night. She noticed that the man posing as the Democratic presidential nominee, the first African American with a legitimate shot at becoming president of the United States, had a thick noose around his neck.

My stomach fell through the floor, and my wife shook with rage. We are as white as they come, but we have black family members, black friends, and a conscience. The long and dark history of lynching in America, and the fear it inspired to control and dominate, suddenly loomed large in our minds. While we try as a rule in our lives to avoid confrontation -- especially with potentially dangerous racists -- one of course ensued. My wife let them have it.

It threatened to ruin our Halloween, this gigantic distraction of having something truly frightening rear its head on Halloween. Luckily, violence was averted.

We called the police after threats were made, and they came quickly in three different squad cars. There wasn't much they could do. The laws that protect this newspaper's ability to give you the unvarnished truth also protect a wacko's ability to offend every decent person within 100 miles.

But we made our point.

My wife repeatedly apologized for ruining the holiday, for not being able to control her anger and keep her mouth shut when faced with such barbarity.

I refused her apology. There's a time and a place to call people out for spreading messages of violence and hate. Every time.

If it's legal for these people to express hatred in public, then it's just as legal -- and absolutely imperative -- for good people to passionately reject that message to their faces.

And we weren't the only ones offended. Up and down the street, people remarked in hushed tones on the barbarity of the costume, and on the shocking display of racism.

The message is clear -- hatred is not welcome in Fortuna, it's not welcome in Humboldt County, and it's not welcome anywhere in the 21st century. This isn't about politics, or endorsing one candidate over another. It's about human decency.

Today, as we contemplate electing the first black president, it would be a mistake to grow complacent and self-satisfied with the progress we've made when spreaders of hate can still be found wandering the streets of Humboldt County.

We've come a long way, but there's a long way left to go. ..News Source.. by James Faulk/The Times-Standard