Altering Public Space in Ugly Ways In his essay “Black Men and Public Space”, Brent Staples attempts to introduce people to something most all are guilty of, but pay little attention to. Using accounts from his own and others’ experiences, Staples essay portrays the racist tendency of people to assume black men are potentially violent and dangerous. Staples discovery of this comes during a late-night encounter. A young white female, whom Staples labels “my first …showed first 75 words of 939 total…

…showed last 75 words of 939 total…reader, but they are irrelevant to how pedestrians and jewelry storeowners would view him. Most people would rather not take the time to know the background of potential attackers, when avoiding trouble altogether would be the best course of action. Despite its few weak points, Staples essay serves an important purpose. “Black Men and Public Space” exposes the racism to those who are not conscious of it, even though they may be guilty of it.