This photograph isn't really dystopia - but rather a sad commentary on the tragic and horrifying legacy of racism in my country which still is not only a 'real' problem - but affects millions of my fellow citizens who still suffer violence, intimidation, and worse...due to the color of their skin. The photo is of a memorial to a young man who was murdered several years ago in a neighboring town by an older man who, supposedly, became enraged when the young man was playing his portable radio too loudly. The young man was African-American, the older attacker was white. The murder weapon, of course, was a gun.
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Statistics indicate that more violence often occurs in impoverished neighborhoods of larger cities, as well as across many of the states which supported the South in America's Civil War in the 19th century and which today are home to large numbers of "election deniers" who parrot the falsehoods of their leader. But the sobering part, for me, is that this killing happened in a small 'liberal' town which prides itself on inclusiveness, and which many consider partially immune from racism. We live in difficult and challenging times, and it is heartening to see that those who lost their lives are still remembered, and honored.