Concerned Citizen

I was taking my daily walk through the neighborhood and was surprised to see two white men tackling a younger black kid in the middle of Copeland Street. I wasn't sure what the problem was, so I stopped and asked, "What's going on?" They didn't pay attention to me and they started to prod the kid with questions about what he had stolen. Apparently, he had shoplifted something from one of the stores on Shadyside's Walnut Street.

The police were there seconds after they took him to the ground. A female and male officer got out of the cruiser and handcuffed the individual. The kid started to seize and shake. He was screaming about not being able to breathe. The female officer made the observation that, "He's high on something." I'm not sure if he was or not, but the most shocking part of this incident was about to take place.

As I proceeded down the one way street that was now blocked off because of the police presence, a woman rolled down her mini-van window and asked me matter-of-factly, "Is that guy up there dead or under arrest?" It really didn't hit me until I got home how warped this woman's question was. She could care less about this guy/kid, as long as she got to Pottery Barn as quickly as possible.