Racial Stereotypes Spawn Fear, Violence

Last week at 3:30 on Tuesday afternoon, 81-year-old Peter LaBeck was sitting in front of the Fox Theatre at Sprague and Monroe in downtown Spokane. Three black teenagers walked up to him, told him he was “ugly white trash,” cursed him and said they would beat him up. While the other two cheered, the third punched and kicked LaBeck, breaking his nose, blackening his eyes and breaking his dentures in two. Witnesses said LaBeck had done nothing to provoke the assault.

Police have arrested suspects and charges are pending. Let us hope the courts will give the offenders the tough, swift justice such a crime deserves.

What happened to LaBeck is an outrage. But outrage hasn’t stopped urban violence from happening over and over again.

So, how should we react?

With more racial tension?

LaBeck shows a better way. “I’m a Christian, so I’ll forgive them for doing this to me.”

The response is consistent with the manner of life LaBeck had led before the assault - and intends to continue now. LaBeck comes downtown daily to attend church and to help out at the Mid-City Senior Center. He said he won’t let the assault frighten him away from downtown, from his friends, from his service at the senior center. “I’ll be OK,” he said. “I like everybody.”

When the attackers looked at LaBeck, they didn’t see the human being who has earned the community’s respect; instead, they evidently saw a stereotype, constructed of their own ignorance, prejudice and hate.

And what about the rest of us? When we encounter a teenage black male, what do we see? Frightening headlines? Leaders in the black community see such headlines, but they also see a great many good young men, full of promise, struggling against unjust suspicion.

Justice is a job for the courts, whose aim is true. The rest of us simply need to get better acquainted, especially with people different from ourselves. Stereotypes can mislead us all. They allow us to pigeonhole people we don’t know. They rob all of us of our humanity. They spawn needless fear. They prevent neighbors from reaching a helping hand across racial, economic and political fences for the sake of our common interests.

There’s a remedy for stereotypes. It’s a remedy that also preserves families, unifies communities and replaces fear with hope. It’s the brave generosity of a frail 81-year-old man who had reason to be angry but chose instead to forgive.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = John Webster/For the editorial board