June 27, 2003
Dear Mr. McKinney,
Hello, how are you doing? I'm doing fine, just a concerned 15-year-old average teenager who lives just a couple of doors down from you.
I'm an African American who wants you to be aware that I have respect for you. I would really like to know your perspective about the drug activity in our community.
I moved to Northside three years ago, and back then there were not many guys on the corner to scare away my mom and I from this neighborhood. Now drug dealers stand on the block and wait for a horn to blow so they can sell their drugs. I have watched you look through your binoculars and take pictures that provide the police with great evidence to stop this problem.
It's a struggle for me to fall asleep at night when the hustlers yell for what they call "licks to hit." I'm scared of those guys, and now I'm afraid of you.
I have some questions for you. I read Kathy Y. Wilson's columns about you in CityBeat. Now I want to hear your side of the story.
What happened at Junker's Tavern on May 8? Do you carry a gun and wear a bulletproof vest to feel protected?
Who can you blame when one year ago you chose to move to Northside? This community was the same then as it is today.
I agree with you about the dangers of our neighborhood. I just can't understand why you would shoot Joe Person, an 18-year-old black man. Wilson reports that you were scared of being called a "girly man." Did those words intimidate you enough to shoot Person?
How do you explain this shooting to your 6-year-old daughter? How can you live with the background of shooting Joe and try to run for city council?
I respect that you're running for council because we need a change in our city, but frankly I'm worried you'll use your gun, your vote to solve problems in council.
Well, that concludes my letter. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Brittany Mason, a concerned neighbor
P.S. Say hi to Max and Baron, the dogs of the house.
BRITTANY MASON, now 16, is a student at Jacobs High School.
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