I did not excuse the man's behavior. I said it was wrong, period. I also said that if it was racially motivated and the man is a cop, he should be fired. Does that sound like I am going "soft" on him? Get serious.

As a grandfather to three African American boys, the last thing I want is people making judgements about them before all the facts are in. Yet that is precisely what is being done to the man... including ascribing racism to his actions without any evidence of such. That is wrong and you know it. Minorities have suffered for decades from "presumption" and its time we get back to "due process" and presumed innocence.

I feel bad for the boy, it must have quite traumatic. But why do you feel that compassion and empathy for the boy rules out empathy for the man. Isn't that behind most cases where minorities are judged unfairly.

The man had reason to believe the boy was stealing his son's bike, the boy was holding his son's bike, when he responded. The man failed to consider what other reasons the boy had for holding his son's bike, but that does not make him evil or racist as the article presumes, just wrong.

It is so sad, the for decades minorities have been judge before being given a fair hearing and now rather than learning from that, we simply perpetuate it.