Local reaction to incidents involving African-American men

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - There is local reaction concerning headlines involving encounters with African American men.

In New York, a white woman called the police on a black man who was bird watching.

She accused the man of threatening her when the video shows he was not.

In Minneapolis, a white male police officer is accused of using excessive force causing George Floyd’s death.

Educator Denise Watts is a mother of two boys and has a black husband.

These stories give her pause when her sons walk the dog in the neighborhood and her husband goes to the store.

“All of those things should be just typical daily experiences that I shouldn’t have to worry about,” Watts said. “But I do.”

Watts talked to her boys about these cases.

After reading the stories on her Facebook post she wrote “she had no more words.”

She admits these cases are emotional especially for mothers.

“All mothers want their kids to come home and all mothers have a protective sense of their kids’ safety and well being," Watts said.

Watts said this is the time for people of all races to speak up and do something to help black men live.

She said she can’t imagine her boys in danger and no one helping them.

“I need you to know that if you are white and you are with my son somewhere and something like this happens, I need to know that you are willing to step up and speak for him," Watts said.

Rev. Dr. Rodney Sadler, the director of the Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation, agrees with Watts.

He reposted something on his Facebook page that stated black men are stereotyped in a negative way.

“No matter what we do, the work that we do, the good we try to do for the community, we are at risk at that moment," Sadler said”

Sadler said white people responded to his social media post asking how can they help.

He told them to join the cause and to care about all mankind.

“They need to begin to work for the rights of people,” Sadler said. “They need to begin with education, health care, economic opportunities are equal for everybody.”

Sadler also thinks leaders should examine the system to see what perpetuates struggle and conflict.

The local NAACP President Corine Mack said her team will discuss how the group will respond.

She said, “enough is enough.”

She is angry this narrative of black men keeps happening.

Mack wants change and believes the traditional ways will make it happen.

“I am vigiled out,” Mack said. “I’m marched out. I want the system changed.”

County Commissioner Mark Jerrell is also concerned about these cases.

He believes this emphasizes the need to have procedures in place to hire the right people.

“We’re going to have to make sure that we are intentional in our hiring processes and practices,” Jerrell said. “We are going to have to make sure that we get people that do have the cultural competency that needs to serve everyone. We can’t have these mistakes.”