14 Things I did as a White Kid that would have been big problems if I was black

http://www.alternet.org/14-bad-things-i-did-white-kid-would-have-turned-out-differently-if-i-were-black?akid=12515.294211.O6Icbn&rd=1&src=newsletter1027801&t=2

  The following piece first appeared on TimWise.org.
"He was no angel." That’s the refrain, repeated for over two months on social media by defenders of Officer Darren Wilson, convinced that Michael Brown was little more than a violent and dangerous thug who deserved to die that August day in Ferguson.

From the beginning, Wilson’s supporters used Brown’s strong-arm theft of cigars from a local market as justification for what happened to him. “Thieves deserve their fate,” came the refrain from many a (mostly white) Facebook feed—this, from people who have never openly advocated death for, say, Wall Street bankers who stole a lot more than Swisher Sweets. Nor have they likely ever contemplated what such a maxim might suggest about the merited destinies of their own white ancestors, whose theft of land and others' labor was central to the development of the country those commentators now call home.
“He had weed in his system,” cried others, suggesting that marijuana use either justifies being shot by a cop, or at the least might explain his “aggressive behavior” toward Officer Wilson. This kind of thing that could only be said by someone who has never smoked much weed. Attacking police officers is, as a general rule, the last thing on your mind when you’re high.
When I was Michael Brown’s age I spent quite a bit of time in just such an altered state, unconcerned that such a condition might serve as a rationale for my demise at the hands of law enforcement. Indeed, I never even gave much thought to the likelihood that such behavior might land me in jail. All this, despite the fact that…

1. Underage drinking and public intoxication (hundreds of times)
2. Repeated use of fake identification for the purpose of obtaining alcohol (hundreds of times)
3. Manufacture of fake identification for myself and others for the underage purchase of alcohol (at least five dozen clients served)
4. Driving under the influence (can’t remember but plenty)
5. Leaving the scene of an accident after a fender bender with another person who was also drunk
6. Criminal trespass
7. Vandalism of government property
8. Criminal mischief
9. Fraudulent receipt of property
10. Possession of illegal narcotics (weed, acid, ecstasy, cocaine)