"My name is Ava, I live in Freeport, with a majority of Black and Hispanic people and I am white. When I went to All-County for band, the freshman from Merrick sitting next to me was asking me if there were shootouts in my school every day, and how could I go to sleep with all the gunshots, and asking me about gangs, if I was in a gang, and was surprised when I said no to all these questions. There were a bunch of other ridiculous questions and when I asked him what would make him think that, he replied saying that his father told him all these things were true. He was told by his father that if he ever went into Freeport that he would get shot or if he went to the Nautical Mile he would get glass bottles thrown at him.
It is just kind of shocking that someone would truly think that about a neighboring town without realizing how ridiculous and stupid that sounded. He also had no shame asking all that to my face, showing his ignorance. I felt uncomfortable in the situation, especially knowing all these other people were telling him it is true. At first I thought he was telling a super bad joke, but then he kept going and going. I thought that it came off super racist that he is white saying all these things about a mostly non-white town."
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