RACISM ON THE JOB
"Return To Your Route," FedEx Told Black Man, After Two White Men Shot At Him
Hate crimes create an additional work hazard for Black people
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Slip and fall incidents, overexertion injuries, and motor vehicle accidents are common amongst delivery drivers. However, Black delivery drivers face an additional work hazard — racism. For instance, in 2020, a group of White Oklahoma residents held a Black delivery driver, Travis Miller, against his will, demanding he tell them who gave him the gate code. Last year, a White woman faced hate-crime charges for calling the police on a Black delivery driver. In true Karen form, she used racial slurs and accused the man of speeding. Do you see a pattern? We have a group of White Americans that feel Black people don't belong in their communities and harass delivery drivers who only come there because of their jobs.
Last month, a 24-year old Black delivery driver D'Monterrio Gibson had a nightmarish experience. According to Gibson, a White father-son duo chased him and started shooting at him. The incident began around 7 pm when a white truck approached his delivery vehicle and blew the horn at him. "At that point, my instincts kick in, and I swerve around him as he (is) trying to cut me off to avoid getting stuck in the neighborhood," Gibson told CNN.
As he drove further down the street, past a few more houses, the "White man pointed a gun at his vehicle and was mouthing and waving at Gibson to stop," but he refused. After all, White people do not have the right to hold Black people at gunpoint and demand they comply—the incident is giving off attempted kidnapping vibes. Shortly after, Gibson heard five shots, some entering the vehicle. These White men, who Gibson later discovered was a father-son duo, did not want to take "no" for an answer.
Does that sound familiar to you? On February 23, 2020, the McMichaels, a father-son duo, and neighbor chased Arbery as he jogged through Satilla Shores, a Georgian suburban community. Because he was a Black man, they assumed he was doing something wrong and did not belong in "their" community. The McMichaels wanted to stop and question Arbery even though neither claimed to be making a citizen's arrest.
