The essay, “Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space,” by Brent Staples is about a black man who faced racial challenges. Brent Staples has been accused as a criminal many times and people feared him when he would walk down the streets. Brent Staples went to college in Chicago and then moved to New York. Wherever Staples would go, people would fear him due to his dark skin and the stereotype that would go around. Living in the city was not easy for him and ran into many problems. Brent Staples’s first problem he ran into was in Chicago, He was walking on the streets when he knew something wasn’t right. He was walking behind a woman and he was able to feel the tension. The woman was getting nervous thinking that he may rob or hurt her. Staples knew he just had a label put on him. The woman feared him because he was black and thought he may do something violent to her. Out of fear the woman started to run and suddenly disappeared. Later in his life, Staples moved to New York and still runs into the problem of racism and stereotypes. Staples noticed that all of the women are more vulnerable on the streets; they are not as strong and unable to protect themselves unlike men. Women made sure their handbags were strapped around their chest with a firm grip and a neutral expressions. He had realized what the stereotypes and racism has done to the citizen on the streets and thought that it was not right and fair to him and many other similar to him.
As a boy, Brent Staples has seen many friends and family get put into jail or get buried due to many fights on the streets. Staples decided to keep a low profile and wanted to stay out of the trouble. Another challenge Staples has faced was when he was working as a journalist. Staples was accused as a burglar due to his skin color and simularity. The next example of the stereotype was when he was checking out the jewelry