Hi Quasimodo.

I knew when writing my story that people might point to what you say here:

"She helped you fix your bike chain. If you had been black, would she have been as forthcoming? I was on my bike on a hot day and some guys with a "Don't Tread on Me" flag gave me ice water. Had I been black or looked like I might be an immigrant, would they have been as "nice?"

I guess that is beside my point. I believe Susan helped me because she kindly took time out of her day to lend a hand to an acquaintance. Not everyone does that. So when I saw a bunch of people kind of ganging up on her in the video, I thought to myself, wait a minute, Susan is not all evil. Do they even know Susan or her side of the story? And when protesters marched on her family home, where she lives with her (young twenty-something) children, I felt the same way again. I told my book group that I would take issue if I complained about something to a neighbor and then a group marched on my home.

Admittedly, the incident was in June, and we were at a heated pinnacle of police brutality, #BlackLivesMatter, George Floyd, major unrest and injustice....so I believe that reaction to Susan took on much higher stakes than it otherwise would have.

Thanks for making me think.

Sincerely, Alice