business & • rofessional I Thought We Were Different I thought we were different. In fact, I thought we were better. Ferguson was the first trip back for many of us to the tumultuous times of the 1960s. The Freedom Riders, George Wallace blocking entry to Alabama University, the assas- sinations of President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy, the riots — including our own in 1967. We rode that storm and, even- tually, civil rights laws, voting protection and a foundation to correct the offensive stench of racism resulted. Fifty years later, we have elected an African American as president for two terms in a country that is 12.6 percent black and a white mayor in Detroit, a city that is 83 percent black. I thought the days of tear gas and rioting were behind us. I was wrong — as demon- strated by the unrest in Ferguson, New York and Baltimore following the deaths of African Americans in the midst of apprehension by police authority. What has gone wrong? There is no doubt that African American men are singled out by police authorities. When driving, if I see a cop I feel an anxiety rush over concern about being pulled over for speeding or some other offense. I'm not, however, thinking that I'm going to be stopped because I'm white or Jewish — I'm just anxious that I'm going to be delayed and financially incon- venienced. By contrast, if I were black, my level of anxiety would take on a whole new horizon. Organized protests to effectuate change are justified and part of our cul- ture. I, like many, however, am angry over the violence and rioting. As I see it, the violence does nothing more than to reinforce the bigoted perspectives of those people who continue to believe they are better than their black brethren. I refer to "these people" as closet bigots. On an individual basis, it can be any- one — just like Donald Sterling — all you need to do is look to the statements they make in private. On a class basis, many groups come to mind. Except there was one class — Jews as a people — that I excluded. After all, we under- stand the notion of persecution and have always been at the podium to denounce such conduct and seek means to resolve such maladies. And then comes the eye opener. The protests that ensued in Tel Aviv over the beating of an Ethiopian IDF soldier by an Israeli police officer was, at first blush, shocking. Is it possible that Jews would discriminate against fellow Jews because of color or ethnic origin? If the Ethiopian Jews are upset to the point of violent protesting in the man- ner we witnessed in Tel Aviv — there's a reason, and it is not residing in those that are protesting — it's vested in those whose actions and conduct are of such a nature that if done to us, we would be angry and inclined to fight back. If I were stopped while driving because I had an Israeli bumper sticker and the police officer spoke or even inferred an anti-Semitic utterance, I would burn until my blood boiled. How dare he mistreat me based upon my religion? So, if a fellow Jew is treated so wrongfully that his blood is boiling at the actions of fellow Jews, one thing is certain — it is not based on his religion — it is based on his color. I'm disappointed to see we are as guilty as the rest when it comes to closet bigotry. As in business, gain can come from learning from your mistakes in the course of future conduct. The events in Tel Aviv should be a reminder to all people that the Golden Rule — "do unto others" — remains the baseline to man respecting man. If we want to rid our country and our people of the cancer of racial discrimina- tion then we must stop analyzing the vic- tims and begin to look at the issue from the eyes of those who are objecting and say, "How would I feel about that?" ❑ Ken Gross is an attorney with Thav Gross and host of Law and Reality that airs weekly at 9 a.m. Saturdays on WDFN 1130 AM, noon on Tuesday afternoons on WCHB 1200 AM/99.9 FM and 11a.m. Sundays on TV20. ESTABLISHED 1917 TRUSTED KNOWLEDGABLE SALES STAFF HOME APPLIANCE MART • DETROIT'S PREMOER APPLIANCE SHOWROOM* Whirl ool Duet HOME APPLIANCES fabric care system LAUNDRY PAIR Whirl ool HOME APPLIANCES cabrio MAYTAG MCT FABRIC CARE SYSTEM LAUNDRY PAIR Maytag Commercial Technology LAUNDRY PAIR 4.5 CU. FT. DUET STEAM FRONT LOAD WASHER 4.8 CU. FT. CABRIO TOP-LOAD WASHER 3.6 CU. FT. TOP LOAD WASHER 7.4 CU. FT. DUET ELECTRIC STEAM DRYER 7.0 CU. FT. CABRIO ELECTRIC STEAM DRYER 7.0 CU. FT. LARGE CAPACITY ELECTRIC DRYER 0 MENEM 0 " O — - - fa ..... . 0 IIMMENNI FOR A LIMITED TIME $1886 FOR A LIMITED TIME forthe pair forthe pair $1398 for the pair WFW95HEDW FOR A LIMITED TIME ENERGY STAR WED95HEDW PRICE IS VAUD 5/13 - 5/26 WTW7300DW $1076 WED7300DW MVWC415EW PRICE IS VAUD 5/13 -5/26 6551 ORCHARD LAKE RD. WEST BLOOMFIELD MI (Maple Rd. & Orchard Lake Rd. - Next To Plum Market) 248.932.0870 • www.witbeckappliance.com 52 May 14 • 2015 MEDC415EW PRICE IS VAUD 5/13 - 5/26