#raceoutloud

[morningamp]

A private security team of armed officers, wearing green shirts and bullet proof vests, has been hired to maintain safety in Boystown and the North Halsted Street entertainment district.

The enhanced and more visible security team started patrolling North Halsted this past weekend and consists of off-duty law enforcement officers hired by the Northalsted Business Alliance (NHBA), a group representing more than 80 businesses along North Halsted St. from Barry to Irving Park Road.

"Our aim has always been to provide a fun and safe environment for residents and patrons," NHBA said in a statement released to ChicagoPride.com. "To that end, Northhalsted Business Alliance continually evaluates security and safety issues for the neighborhood."

Oh yeah, this is gonna end well...

[morningamp]

My Craigslist post said, among other things, “I’m a 36-year-old white guy. I grew up in a diverse neighborhood and have always gone to diverse schools. I’ve always had a decent number of black friends. That’s changed over time. I work in the publishing industry, which is super white, and I’ve realized that my group of friends is getting whiter and whiter.… It’s amazing to me that almost everyone I know has either black friends or white friends, but not both. We could have a black president, and still not have a very mixed country.” Then I added a few more lines about don’t let me show up at the bar and you’ve got a horse tranquilizer for my drink. I guess you could say the post ran a little long. I guess you could say I was worried about the possibility of a misunderstanding.

Devin Freedman in Will You Be My Black Friend?, published in GQ, November 2008. The whole thing is worth a read. We're still up in the air as to whether we're offended, weirded out, in awe of his honesty, or just need a drink by the end.