Amen. As a former Chicagoan and a white moderate/progressive, I share your fears; I have heard some of this shit come out of the mouths of people who’ve been quite reasonable in most other areas of life.
Until people can come to understand that demographics are a symptom and not a cause, these responses will continue. Unfortunately, it’s easier to blame issues on the color of a group’s skin than on the effects of poverty, racism, lack of opportunity, uneven policing and incarceration, etc. These are complicated issues (along with the requirement to point the finger back at ourselves for some of it), whereas walls are straightforward.
Thank you for framing the issues so well and providing a face to them. Hopefully at least a few people will read your words with an open heart and mind.
