A couple of weeks ago, I was returning home with fresh pasta from Patrizi’s - Zelenny and I’s favorite Italian food truck - in east Austin. I pulled up to a red light when I heard cars honking from across the street.
I looked out and saw a man in a baggy white tee shirt and shorts stumbling along the crosswalk with a liter-bottle of Coca Cola open in his hand. He shouted phrases I could not decipher. As he continued to pose a traffic hazard and cause confusion for others nearby, my instinct was to whip out my phone and report him to the authorities. But then I had a second thought…
He was a black man. What if the situation would escalate to the point that the man gets a record and it impacts his future ability to get employment, or who knows what else? Still, it was dangerous. He was publicly intoxicated and jaywalking in the middle of a busy street, posing a risk to everyone driving. I decided to do nothing.
I’m not sure what the right thing to do was. I wanted to do the most good, but I also wanted to protect him from the racism… from the possibility of something going wrong if I report him. I chose not to snitch. Was that the right thing to do?