Laden...
Booking photo for Edward Matthews. Every neighborhood has a guy like this.
Every neighborhood in New Jersey has this guy.
You know him. Maybe you're related to him.
Maybe you've been him -- the loudmouth racist who likes to bully the neighbors then brag about how the cops won't do anything about it. The guy who you just know is the one who keyed your truck, or flattened your tires, or pelted your car with metal ball bearings, yet each time you call the local police it seems his bad acts are, if not encouraged, perhaps conveniently ignored.
"Sorry ma'am, but we can't prove it was him. Sorry ma'am, it's not illegal to be a racist. Sorry ma'am, but he hasn't actually hurt anyone."
To hear Edward C. Matthews' neighbors in the tidy Mount Laurel condo complex where he's lives, everyone -- including the local cops -- knew he was a dangerous menace with an angry, racist streak. But once again, it was a citizen's video and the glare of Internet virality that seemed to make authorities suddenly able to see clearly things they were blind to before.
We keep hearing about this "white rage" afflicting some people in this country as a way of answering the "why" questions that arise after incidents of racism and bias.
Frankly, I'm ready to ask the "What the hell?" questions, instead:
What the hell is Matthews so mad at? If it's just about Black people living near him, then he's just another malignant racist.
What the hell makes him think it's OK to harass old ladies? Because bullies always try to punch down.
What the hell makes a person feel so secure, so safe in the knowledge that his antics will be affirmed and tolerated, that he'll scream in the face of anyone -- including police officers -- who try to check his behavior? That's just good old fashioned white male privilege, nothing more.
And, because I spent some time this week wading through the comments some of you left on the Facebook posts we shared about this story, what the hell makes YOU think the biggest offenses were committed by the protesters who took Matthews up on his invitation to come by and tell him off?
To hear some of you tell it, the part where a police officer was splashed with water on a blisteringly-hot day was worse than any of the racist terror inflicted upon the neighborhood. Get a grip, folks.
Look, I know the answers to these questions as well as you. Guys like this act like that because they can, and they feel confident they'll get away with it because they always have, and they'll swear after the fact that they're not racists, because that's what racists do.
Like I said, you know this guy. He's not even special.
But like it or not, he's now the face of Mount Laurel, and that is a shame. Because rather than keep looking at Matthews' sweaty mug shot, I'd much rather hear more about Etchu Tanyo Brandon Tambe, the neighbor who stood up, displaying grace and in the face of Matthews' racist slurs and flying spittle.
Tambe is the Black man you saw in that viral video, calmly standing his ground while Matthews did his drunken junkyard-dog act. Matthews tried everything in the bully's playbook to get Tambe, an Air Force senior airman and naturalized U.S. citizen, to throw a punch, make a move, or otherwise give him a reason to get violent or elicit violent police response.
But Tambe knew better, he acted better, and the hundreds of protesters who packed into the condo complex parking lot did, too. Crying to the police for help won't get the job done in 2021. It takes something more -- grace, and persistence, and a belief that America is more good than bad.
And a video helps, too.
Also this week, a surprise housecleaner makes a clean getaway, did Elsa spur a tornado, what the female inmates saw, a holy real estate deal, and whether we'll need a third vaccine dose: EXTREMELY WHOLESOME: Here's some good, clean content. This South Jersey housecleaner accidentally went to the wrong address and cleaned the wrong house. Now dubbed the "South Jersey Cleaning Fairy," Louis Angelino III even fed the cats for the lucky -- if surprised -- owners of the Cherry Hill townhouse.TORNADO OR NOT TORNADO: Elsa struck a glancing blow to the Jersey Shore before hustling it offshore to the north. It was mostly rain and some wind, but the National Weather Service is checking into whether tornadoes touched down in three South Jersey towns. THEY TRIED TO WARN US: Long before any state official decided action was needed to fix the violence and abuse inside the state's only women's prison, the people incarcerated were telling their stories. Hear directly from them what it was like, and what should be done. I HEAR THOSE TINY HOUSES ARE COOL: The Archdiocese of Newark is has sold off the "private luxurious estate on 8+ acres" it built several years ago for the late Archbishop John J. Myers. The palatial pad fetched $910,000. THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM: Is a third dose of the Pfizer COVID vaccine in our futures? The drug company says immunity -- especially against still-emerging variants -- jumps significantly after a third dose. Will you get it? Finally, it's my turn for a much-needed vacation, so you won't receive a Letter next week, aiming to make some headway on Pete Genovese's list of best boardwalk food and his and Jeremy Scheider's choices of best ice cream shops.
I'll be back in your inbox on Saturday the 24th. Until then, keep it Jersey!
P.S.: This Cookie Puss is for you, Mr. Cheng!
Amy Z. Quinn Audience Editor
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Laden...
Laden...
