REALLY????

ENRAGED!!!  That's how I felt as I was sitting behind the backstop at my son's baseball game today.  Denton Sliders vs Flower Mound Furry.  While I was enjoying the game, from behind the backstop and working the scoreboard, two boys ride up on their little bikes, I'm guessing around 9 years old.  They stopped, still sitting on their bikes, near me behind the backstop, and start talking about the game, the players, the plays and the rules.  Two boys, enjoying a beautiful sunny day at the ballpark, watching America's Favorite Pasttime.  Then, from the opponents bleachers I hear a man yelling at the kids, "Hey!  There are people behind you trying to watch the game!  MOVE!".  They turn to look at who he was referring to, as did I.  There sat two adult women on a  picnic table, about 20 feet back.  One woman mouthed to the man, "Thank You!".  REALLY?????
Did I mention that the man was WHITE (and I'm telling you, he couldn't have been any whiter) and the boys were HISPANIC?  Oh, well, that was the first thing I noticed as I could not FATHOM why anyone would need to be concerned about the view of somebody sitting an entire TWENTY (20) FEET back!  The boys quickly rode off.  I felt bad for them.  This quickly turned to RAGE!  I pondered whether to say something to the over dressed little (and I do mean little) man.  Then I wondered if they were black kids, would he do the same...probably.  Had they been white like me would he?  Or might he assume they were with me because I was white too!  I had engaged in a short conversation with them, so that could have been possible.  I doubt he would have dared to say anything if they had been white.  I'm not one to jump on the RACE bandwagon or throw out the RACE card, but my instincts were very strong on this. 
BUT, WHAT ABOUT ME?  Was I just as bad for not being quick to defend the two little boys?  Had it been my boy(s), you darn well know this mama grizzly would have roared!!!  I would have made the point that this was not HIS park, that sitting 20 feet back is too far to expect to have front row view, and that it is MY taxes that help to pay for things in this city, including it's parks....NOT HIS!  So, why didn't I do it for these kids?  I regret not doing so.  These boys weren't doing anything wrong, they were just living the American Dream, doing what good kids do:  Ride Bikes, Go to the Park, Watch Baseball!  They WEREN'T: riding their bikes recklessly, acting obnoxious, vandalazing, or doing drugs. 
The boys returned some time later, in their same spot.  I peered over at the man on the bleachers.  I was just waiting this time for him to open his mouth!  I was ready to pounce!  I knew what I wanted to say and I wanted to scold him as he had scolded those boys.  I wanted to show this little man just how little he was.  As I waited, I engaged in conversation with the boys again: "Do you boys play baseball?".  One responded, "No, but I want to." The other, "No, we didn't register in time.".  I told them they needed to be sure and get signed up next season so they could also be out on that field.  They continued to watch in admiration, continuing to discuss the plays as they happened, and then they rode off again.  No further incident from little man.
But tonight, I have a heavy heart.  I feel disgust in the arrogance and what I saw as racist actions of another.  And I'm disappointed in myself for not defending them upon recognition of such.  There are men and women risking and giving their lives for OUR rights.  Isn't the least I could have done was speak up for those boys rights to enjoy the rights that we were enjoying ourselves?  I'm dissappointed, I'm ashamed and mostly, I'm sorry!