This morning I was getting a roll and a juice at a cart near my office. As I was waiting on line a sanitation officer (it took me a while to figure it out, I was unfammiliar with the uniform), came up to the cart and started yelling at the man in it, insisting he had cursed at him earlier in Arabic.
"What did you say to me?"
"I said nothing sir."
"You cursed at me, I want to know what you said."
"I didn't sir. You wear a uniform. There is no problem."
"Look, I keep my city clean, I keep my country clean, and you better not have a problem with that."
"I don't sir."
"So you can tell me what you said because this is America."
"There is no problem, sir, you wear a uniform, there is no problem."
"I said, I keep my country clean, I'm an American, so why don't you tell me what you said."
At this point, I turned and interjected, to the officer. "I don't know what the problem is here, but please don't make it about patriotism. It's offensive and unfair."
"Mind your own business ma'am. He cursed at me in Arabic."
"You're making this racial," I said, "and it's making me uncomfortable."
"Get out of here, and mind your own business ma'am."
"This is America, I don't have to mind my own business," I said, and walked off, the sanitation officer still shouting at all who would listen about his patriotism.
I've been shaking about it all morning. I was raised to respect authority, was yelled at for calling police officers "cops" as a child -- I don't look for them to be doing wrong, am not innately suspicious of them, although like anyone, I am wary and polite.
Then I walked by one of the wholesale stores by my office. They were selling a sports-jersey style shirt. It said "911 World Tour" and listed places with bombings. New York. Madrid. Tokyo. Bali.
I started crying. In five years, I doubt we'll recognize our country. Maybe we don't even recognize it now.
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