The Milwaukee Post

8 • Milwaukee Post • July 26, 2013 OPINION A tale of one city and two teenagers Standing in the ornate foyer of the Governor's Mansion, nestled in the tony Madison enclave of Maple Bluff, a conversation was going on in which I was peripherally involved. It wasn't that I could not have jumped in, but my judgment was to defer to those older and wiser and just listen. A meeting had just concluded on a major fundraising initiative launching the governor's re-election effort; I was the designated lead on the event. The meeting took place in the lower level of the Governor's Mansion, an area that's not accessible to the public. In West Allis, where I grew up, we called it a basement rec (recreation) room, a finished basement that wasn't required as bedroom space for older children. It had a second toilet and a shower consisting of a plastic curtain and a hose that was connected to the stationary tubs. The basement in the governor's residence was much nicer and had a bar. One of the more bellicose big shots at this gathering of movers and shakers took me to task for not having a count on ticket sales a scant two days after the initial fundraiser mailing. He did so in a most haughty, condescending, martini-guzzled way A polite confrontation ensued, in my . defense, by another senior member of the group. It was not my place to challenge the ignorance of this captain of industry . It was while we were gathering in the foyer, after the meeting, that this same self-important man, who had taken me to task earlier, approached. He moved toward me as I was centered between the foyer's twin spiral staircases. He placed his right arm around my shoulders, pulled me closer to his portly frame and he said to me, "It's a grand view," I nodded my head in agreement. "Not bad for a kid from West Allis," he remarked. I, again, nodded my head, but more cautiously He continued . turning his towering body toward me and, looking downward into my eyes, said, "Never forget, Murphy, you are only an invited guest here." I watched this arrogant, boozed-up schmuck walk out the door of the Governor's Mansion in absolute rage and silence. The same man who defended me earlier in the meeting stepped over to me and said, "Ignore that WASP bastard, Murph." Corey Stingley played football at Nathan Hale High School in West Allis. He was a running back, not all that large, but his 5-foot, 6-inch, 160-pound lean build helped him rush for 158 yards with 42 carries this past season. Nathan Hale is my alma mater and Corey lived two blocks west of one of the homes I lived in, around West 92nd Street and Schlinger Avenue. It was a wonderful neighborhood with lots of laughter and good, hardworking people; all shapes, sizes, and ethnic backgrounds. The folks who ran the corner store were always friendly and when I'd walk in for a pack of smokes, or butter, eggs, or a loaf of bread, it was always "Yes, sir" or "No, sir" and "Thanks, Mr. Murphy Corey Stingley shopped there, ." too. I wonder if Corey knew what a WASP was; I'm sure he knew about bigotry . In 1982, when the meeting at the mansion occurred, I had heard the term WASP before but I was never quite sure what it meant. I was young and a middle-class kid with south-side roots and I thought WASP meant rich kids who were growing up somewhat foppish and preppy My interest . was piqued after it was used in reference to the fellow who wanted to remind me of my place. I discovered it was frequently used as a pejorative for White, AngloSaxon Protestants and was further defined as a person who is rigid, humorless, cheap, insipid, coldhearted, prudish, and culturally arrogant, and I thought to myself, "People aspire to be like this?" This WASP bastard, as he was identified to me, wanted to remind me and my Irish Catholic brethren that our grandmothers, mothers, and wives, in past generations, were the domestics in places like the Governor's Mansion. I had grown up hearing about the soup-kettle Irish, shanty Irish, lace curtain Irish and the coffin ships or famine boats; it was common to hear notable boorish behavior at an event excused as to as someone "who just got off the boat." It had been 22 years since we had elected an Irish Catholic president but I was being reminded that we were still only being selectively treated as equals; that night I drove home to West Allis alone with my thoughts. I understand anger. Many Irish people have, for decades, felt a level of insecurity and the feelings of being treated as second-class citizens in this country I have . been discriminated against for reasons related to my heritage and religion and have been told that directly to my face. I have been blackballed from private clubs and made to feel unwelcome many times. In some respects, all ethnic groups in this country have been profiled and we have been made to feel we don't belong. In 1850, 43 percent of all foreign-born in this country were Irish. "Irish need not apply" was a metaphor for the indignities of discrimination that took place against the sons and daughters of Erin. But like other ethnic groups, the Irish struggled and assimilated. But, the emptiness and the feeling of being made to feel you don't belong is an inexplicable sense of loneliness; you never forget it. But most of us have never been a black teenager. Trayvon Martin, a black teenager, is dead. We all know the circumstances that surround Trayvon's death. So, people are Murph Speak TODD ROBERT MURPHY angry and out marching for what they don't know and, if history is a guide, this will blow over and nothing will happen. But something happened to me. Seven months ago, on 92nd and Schlinger, at the corner store I used to walk to, a 16-year-old black teenager was screwing around trying to hoist a few cans of booze. He was caught, apologized, and returned the product. Corey Stingley had been in that store many times before. The West Allis police were called and, when the Nathan Hale High School student tried to leave, three men subdued him; three men. A scared, 16-year-old, 5-foot-6 and 160-pound West Allis high school student, who knew he wasn't supposed to be doing what all teenagers do, experiment with alcohol, was subdued by three men. When the police arrived, they handcuffed his listless body The morons then . figured out that Corey Stingley, who weighed all of 160 pounds, and was subdued by three men, was dead. The store manager did nothing to stop the assault on the boy The men have not been . charged. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson don't care; there's no fame or money in it for those loudmouths. This happened in my city, in my old neighborhood, in a store two blocks from my home, to a kid who went to my old high school. I may have faced some bigotry in my life, but I have never been a black teenager in today's America. There is supposed to be a new conversation about race in this country as a result of Trayvon's death. No one has anything to say to me. If there is a conversation, I respectfully ask for a temporary furlough from the ensuing dialogue. Because every time we have this conversation something terribly wrong has happened, and I am tired of the same blowhards always talking and ignoring the real problems. I am tired of the credentialed phonies and the sensationalism of the media. I am tired of feeling confused, and, most of all, I am tired of the people who can do something about it and don't. I can't go home again. Mise le Meas (Todd Robert Murphy pays attention you can contact him at: toddrobertmurphy@gmail.com.) Readers Forum Previously we asked: , Does the new state abortion law put an undue burden on the right to an abortion and is it unconstitutional toward doctors who perform them? You answered: "No! Abortion is taking a life, this is the minimum that should be done. All other procedures have warnings and disclosures. Show each woman requesting this elective procedure in many of these cases a video of the procedure, then let them decide." – Noah Borkenhagen Franklin "I am personally pro-life. Any doctor that kills a fetus anytime after it is conceived is committing murder." – Don Tuttle Milwaukee "Having an abortion is a very emotional time for both the woman and the doctor. The only way, to my mind, that the government would know if they followed the law would be if they videotaped the session, which would be unconstitutional." – Marilyn Faucett Milwaukee Question of the week Do you believe that Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun did or did not use performance-enhancing drugs? When do you believe he began using the PEDs, and how long do you believe he used them? Call 744-6370, Ext. 15 and leave a brief answer to the Question of the Week along with your full name with spelling, phone number and city. No address is required. Readers may also send an email with a brief answer to: dbutler@conleynet.com.

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