Hello, ClemenceDane. Thanks for the note and thanks for understanding exactly what I was trying to say when I pointed out the part about neighbors in Montclair. In my humble opinion, many of us in town, no matter the color of our skin, act entitled about property issues. IDK how to fix that. I can only be the best neighbor I can be, on both the giving and receiving ends.

I like that you said this:

"Only a subset of these interactions have a racial element, and it is not always clear to me when that is. We cannot say that anytime a white person acts like a busybody with a black person that the white person is racially motivated. The test is whether they would question a white person in the same situation. It sounds like in your neighborhood the answer is "Yes.""

Exactly, Clemence, exactly.

Sincerely, Alice