Friday night I met some friends in Hollywood for drinks [meaning a glass of Pinot Noir for me. Two, if I'm feeling dangerous].

All was well. All was good. Until the bar/lounge closed and so did a few others in the area and the police were everywhere and black folks were everywhere and a friend of mine was walking down the street and a car pulled up.

The driver of the car waved at my friend. [Or at least made a waving motion with his hand]. My friend, a bit tipsy, thought the driver knew him so he walked over to the driver's window who immediately rolled down the window. When the driver rolled down his window, my friend reached his hand toward the driver in order to Brotha-shake him. The driver rolled up the window on my friend's hand who of course said Fuck You to the driver. The driver jumped out of the car and so did his three other friends. Ready to fight. Ready to project their insecurity and rage onto another brother.

After a few minutes of screaming, pulling people away, of "ignore them" and fuck yous, and one of the brothers reaching for the imaginary gun in his imaginary holster, things calmed down. The driver and his friends jumped back into their car with the last words of: Next time I wave for you to walk you better walk by, my niggah. My friend turned around to continue the fight, but I pushed him forward. And he kept walking.

I couldn't believe it. A misunderstanding. One brother thinking another was waving in affinity and brotherly recogntion; the other was simply waving to allow his fellow brother to walk. Letting his fellow brother know he would not be cruel and drive out before him. But then things turned ugly. Both felt insulted. And the same black males were ready to fight, suggesting they would shoot.

I don't have much to say but this: Why are we so quick to destroy each other?

Until next time,

Keith