The Perils of a Post-Racial Utopia

Years ago, a friend of a friend who had just bought a home told me that the biggest difference between renting and owning was that cops now treated him with respect. He and I are both Black, so I immediately knew what he meant. In countless contexts, our presence is treated as disruptive. This is what Jay-Z gets at when he raps, “We ain’t even ‘posed to be here” on “Niggas in Paris,” a song about the disorientation of Black success. On his property, this acquaintance was seen as unsuspicious, his perceived threat level deescalated to “taxpayer.” He sounded relieved, but also apprehensive. The police in his neighborhood might respect him, but what about those a few blocks away? Moreover, did he even want to be treated better just because he had a mortgage?