An Incident Observed at Shop-Rite

My mother observed this incident yesterday at a Shop-Rite in the Kensington neighborhood, where a police officer was recently killed during a bank robbery.

A woman was talking with her husband about the robbery, complaining that the bank should have an around the clock guard, and blaming the “goddamn n-----s.” All this was said in a loud voice, in a produce section full of people of all races.

This incident is a testament to the racism often found amid the white working class. This has relevance not only to race relations in Philadelphia, but also to the 2008 presidential campaign. The fact is, whether or not people want to talk about it, a certain portion of the working class is opposing Obama because he is African-American. This may not be all of the reason behind working class opposition to Obama, but it is certainly a part of it.

Horrible / Beautiful

Walking around past a train trestle in Kensington today, I was reminded of just how horribly beautiful its bleakness can be. Against the grey sky, the barren trees and dilapidated warehouses had a stark, arid quality that just exudes so much beauty it is incredible. It is like something out of an old gothic print.

In the near future, I will begin posting to this blog photos of my neighborhood that I feel capture its arid beauty.