Black Men and Public Space

Brent Staple's essay, "Black Men and Public Space", focuses on the common issues of what it's like to be viewed as a thief everytime. Brent Staple provides anecdotes to show how people often fear him, a black man, when crossing paths, especially at night. He doesn't partically point out any other race simply because it happens to everyone who is black, white, and latino. When walking at night alone, if someone sees a black man who's not dressed professionally in a dress shirt, tie, and slacks, then he is considered to be a "mugger, rapist, or worse". Staple says he has the gift/ability to alter public space as an inheritance because he's no mugger or rapist and can change people's attitudes/behavior just by being in a place or entering a situation. Not all, but some black males have placed the stereotype upon the world making everyone else think were that dangerous as if we were contagious disease, so if you see a black male you better run, but thats not even true. You have some black males that go to school and they work to get into the best Universities with a concept of becoming someone in society, but other people just seem to make it more difficult for blacks, but we all have to realize that there just obstacles and barriers, who are trying to break our spirits, but we can make turn these into opportunities for the better.