When Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, stated, “I am prejudiced and bigoted in a lot of different ways.  If I saw a guy who was acting suspicious on the other side of the street, I would certainly not go on that side of the street.  Likewise, if I saw a slick-headed guy with tattoos on the other side of the street, I would do the same thing.”  This is not prejudiced or bigoted, it is only reacting to the way we were raised – we were always taught to be aware of your surroundings.  Some examples were for women not to travel alone at night; always go to the mall in two’s and not alone, especially at night; always have your car keys ready to open your car door; check the cars next to your car, especially if it is a van;  if someone is trailing you in your car don’t go home go the nearest police station or business where there are other people; if you are alone at the mall, wait until a number of people are walking to their cars or wait for the mall security who travels the mall parking lot; and check the inside of your car if you left it unlocked  to be sure there isn’t anyone inside.  This is being street smart not prejudiced or bigoted.  If you have ever been robbed or attacked on the street, this will be an automatic thought process.  This should be practiced whether you are brown, black, or white because there are a lot of people out there just waiting to take advantage of a situation.

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