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I recently moved to Oregon from the midwest. On my first visit to the shore with my 12 year old son, we literally walked into a young seal laying on the beach. We were both excited having never been this close to a wild sea animal before. We knelt down near it to get a better look. My son became concerned that maybe the seal was injured. A woman ran from a home at the top of the beach toward us. She was yelling. I stood and walked toward her. She stopped in my physical space and began yelling directly into my face. She threatened to call the authorities and chastised me for not knowing th regulations around leaving seals alone. I tried to explain that I was new to the state and had no idea that there were such rules. But she was not interested in hearing my explanation. Finally she marched away. I felt totally disrespected and my son was left concerned that the authorities were going to come and arrest us. To this day I feel anger over how she felt so privilaged and empowered that she could approach me so. I also wonder if she would have addressed me differently if I were not a man of color.

posted 4 years, 10 months ago
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