A man went on a racist rant in SLO County. It was no ‘isolated incident’

The racist rant directed at a Black store manager in Atascadero is an object lesson: We have a long way to go to make predominantly white San Luis Obispo County a safe and welcoming place for people of color.

In case you missed it, here’s a recap of what happened: An angry customer who was asked to wear a mask after entering a business at El Camino Real Plaza Shopping Center exploded at Harold Brown, calling him the n-word and telling him to “go fetch me some water.”

Brown got part of the encounter on video and posted it on social media.

Later, he told a Tribune reporter this wasn’t the first time he’s encountered racism in Atascadero, though this was the first time he caught it on video.

“I’m not surprised by it,” he said. “I’m honestly not even affected by it anymore.”

There was a swift and furious backlash against the man in the video, whose identity has not been confirmed. More than 100 people posted negative reviews on the Yelp page for the business, the name of which was clearly visible on the side of his van.

The show of support is heartening, and it could wake people up to the fact that racist actions have consequences.

On the other hand, white people shouldn’t have to be shamed into acting like decent human beings, though in this case, It’s not even clear if the shaming had any effect. The business is not answering its phone, and the man has not apologized for his behavior. In fact, he doubled down, returning to the store to try to bully the manager into taking the video down, while again using the n-word.

Likewise, people of color shouldn’t have to bear the burden of documenting their abuses, though thankfully they are. Could you imagine if there had been no video of the killing of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police?

So yes, something must be done to bring the change way too long in coming, starting with opening our eyes to what’s going on in our own backyard.

We can’t keep repeating that tired phrase — “This is not who we are” — that gets trotted out each time there’s some new outrage.

This is who we are — or at least who some of us are — or we would not keep seeing this pattern of overt racism followed by outrage ... only to be followed by another heinous act.

We won’t go into the painful litany of events that have rocked our community and, in some cases, made headlines around the nation. We’ll let a few examples suffice: Blackface incidents at Cal Poly, followed by racist graffiti and fliers spread around campus. Racist comments written on a Free Speech Wall. A Black Lives Matter banner cut down twice at a San Luis Obispo church. A county Planning Commissioner resigning after being criticized for posting a call for America to shut down all mosques and ban Islam. More recently, hecklers at recent anti-racism marches.

Is it any wonder that, in spite of all SLO County has to offer, only 2% of our county population is African American? Or that students of color are reluctant to attend Cal Poly, despite its stellar reputation?

It’s true that San Luis Obispo County isn’t alone — this is a national disgrace — but this isn’t New York or Talladega or Minneapolis.

This is our community. This is where we need to focus efforts, starting with acknowledging that — in spite of all the accolades heaped on our county — members of this community can be as intolerant as those anywhere else.

It’s time we all recognized that. It’s not enough to hear it from the students or the progressives or the social activists who are out marching.

Nor is it enough to hear it just from the city of San Luis Obispo, which recently passed a resolution declaring racism a public health crisis. If you doubt that, just look at the disproportionate number of people of color affected by COVID, for starters.

It’s way past time to speak with one voice, to stop looking the other way and acknowledge how San Luis Obispo County has failed Harold Brown and other people of color — and at the same time, resolve that it can and must change.

This story was originally published June 24, 2020 at 11:46 AM.