“I shouldn’t have to keep newspapers to tell people what I am doing and what I am about.” It is a frustrating reality that he knows is a necessary one to keep him safe. On top of his usual press credentials, Lott always carries a copy of the New York Times with him, featuring one of his credited photos on the front page. A woman had told him he didn’t belong there and called 911. He recalls sirens and police cars racing towards him in a quiet neighborhood in Arizona where he was covering the housing crisis. People have called the police on him while he has been on assignment, he says. I am a target because I am a journalist, because I am a black man, I am tall and I wear colors.” “I am extremely cautious, especially when I go into a place where there aren’t many minorities. Joshua Lott, a 37-year-old industry-renowned photojournalist who has traveled across the United States on assignment for the world’s biggest news organizations, says that experience has taught him to always be on edge when he arrives in a new place to work. Josh Lott: ‘I know I am a potential target’. The consequence of having to modify his behavior in such a way? “A loss of dignity,” he says. “Black people have been killed for saying less than that,” he says he responds to her. His white wife sometimes wonders why not. He suppresses any strong feelings of anger. He makes sure to avoid causing a fuss, even if a fuss is warranted. Up until now, Saunders says that he has been vigilant with himself in public. I am a chokehold away from being Eric Garner,” says Ben Saunders, a 37-year-old professor of psychology at Long Island University. “Every day, I live and operate with that feeling of fragility, that feeling that I could be taken out at any time. “The emotional connection I have is that it could be me at any time, any day it could be me,” says William Jones, a 22-year-old New Yorker who works in high-end retail.Įvery single black man I spoke to for the purpose of this article echoed Jones’s feelings. The result of that construct and the accompanying racist fear and forced subjugation it justifies has been counterintuitive: black men in America are in fact deeply fragile and constantly at risk.
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In America, black men have historically been depicted as aggressive, hypersexual and violent – to be controlled, to be exploited, to be tamed. The killings last week of two black men, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, at the hands of police, reminded me of the lessons from that day. Constructs and prejudice meant that black and male was a dangerous combination for him. But it was the 300lb man next to me, Justin, who was constantly shrinking, silently modifying his behavior to remain safe. There I was, a single young white woman, and everyone near and far was concerned for my safety. Justin was constantly shrinking, silently modifying his behavior to remain safe They laughed and made jokes when I told then I lived in the heart of Detroit, a city as overwhelmingly black as their suburb was overwhelmingly white. Little had changed, they said.Īt the police station, white officers welcomed me with open arms. Detroit activists later referred to Dearborn Heights as a “ sundown town” – a place black people would historically know they shouldn’t get caught after dark.
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Citing a history of housing discrimination, Justin said he knew he wasn’t welcome there. Driving through carried the threat of being pulled over, at the very least.
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It turns out, despite working down the road, Dearborn Heights was a place Justin made sure to never come through. “What you don’t see, Rose,” he said to me, “is that I am in danger here.” We had lunch together, and the white waitress scowled when we declared we would share the soup. When we got to the police station, he shrunk in his car. He offered to drive me around as I spoke to neighbors of the shooter, community members, the police and activists.īut as we entered Dearborn Heights, a white suburb, I noticed Justin would let me out of the car but never come with me. I am a medium-sized white woman, with peroxide hair and a very British accent. Justin is 6ft 5in, weighs 300lb and looks like he could be a former American football player.