Hey, the red dot got me laughing. Thanks I needed that.

must be tough being a preachers kid.

I
was one of those church kids who hung out with the (much older) vatos
and white seed-freak bikers that congregated on the office steps in the
church foyer, that were paroled to the ASS. of God church I was forced
to attend,until I was old enough to refuse attendance,watching the
service through the windows, while hearing the message from overhead
speakers.(for some reason blacks who came with their families to
worship were quickly made to feel very uncomfortable. So  the sub sets
of Crips or Bloods ( Bloods had not been so shot up as to be pushed out
of LBC yet) were never paroled out to our church. What part of  we "are
all one in the body of Christ"was incomprehensible to the CHURCHED, in
this church, was always disturbing to me. This was in the west side of
the city of Signal Hill, which is engulfed within the city of Long
Beach. In those days the police of Signal Hill would, from time to
time, randomly arrest young black males driving through this area for
possession of coke etc. and the next morning would be discovered hung
in their cells with their own bed sheets. The police statement claimed
they were gang bangers and realized they had nothing to live for, so
they hung themselves.

This went on for years amid out rage form the black community and NAACP, until the wrong young black man was found hung.

He was a collage football star and recently drafted to the pros and recently engaged to be married.

He had everything to live for.

It was only the sports journalists that investigated the "story".

They
found that the Signal Hill police dept. was primarily maned with
officers who had been fired from other police forces for instances  of
abuse of power and particularly racial abuse. Largely from southern
states dating back to the late 60s early 70s.

Some journalists
quipped that it seemed that to be  fired for Racial Abuse was a
prerequisite  for employment at the city of Signal Hill police dept.

The sports media attention brought on an investigation, which brought on a trail of the officers.

They
all kept to the same story. None were found guilty for murder. ...So
some were forced to retire with benefits, some without benefits as I
recall. There were so many other similar stories, not to that level,
from other L.A./ Or. county police of that time.(Never heard a word
from the churches.)That I must say the Rodney King riots were a SLOW
TRAIN coming. As much as a jerk as R king  may have been,  memories of
such experiences  as described above, remain a long time.

hmmm, can't say for sure or put a finger on  what of your site brought up those old memories,

If that was too much, sorry.

let me know.

May we all grow and stay covered in HIM.

God Bless