This probably isn’t the right place to post this, but I don’t know what to do and because it happened in Columbus, I thought maybe someone locally would have a suggestion.

I have always been aware of white privilege, but I have never TRULY understood it or had any experience that really really made me aware of it. For reference, I’m white; this come into play later in the story. Yesterday I got home from walking the dog at the park and as I was getting home and the dog out of the back of my car, I noticed that my neighbor (who is black) was taking advantage of the nice weather, cleaning out his car and listening to rap music, probably louder than it should have been, but nothing crazy- no big deal. His (approximately 9yo) son who usually comes up to me to pet my dog was also outside. We live behind (what I think is) an old people home or assisted living residence. I know that the people who live there are able to take care of themselves as they are usually out and about walking around and able to come and go as they please. One of these residents who live in this establishment had their window open and yelled “get your n***** ass out of here!” to my neighbor as he was cleaning out his car. My neighbor then looked up to the man in his window and said “excuse me?” in a completely leveled tone- not in a way that was threatening or engaging, I just literally don’t think he heard this POS. The man in the window then yelled the same expletive at my neighbor. My neighbor turned down his music and just ignored the man.

I am ashamed at what I did next. I was in complete shock because this is something that (personally) I have always heard of happening but never witnessed up close and personal. I IMMEDIATELY apologized to my neighbor. Idk why I did this. Then, and what I did was try to come up with an EXCUSE for this racist prick! I said to my neighbor, “man, he probably has mental issues or something. That’s an old people home.” This is what I was really ashamed of because it looked like I was making an excuse up for that asshat, but I think really what I was trying to do is comfort my neighbor because I felt so freaking terrible for the guy. I’m not making this about my feelings- I am just reporting what happened.

What amazed me was that this didn’t deter my neighbor. He didn’t get upset. He just ignored the racist and turned down his music. Then he said, “I don’t really care, but my kid is out here. I’m not worried about it, it just goes to show that there is still ignorance”.

I wonder if it were me out there, cleaning out my car, blasting Lynyrd Skynyrd, would this fuck wad yell at me for my music being too loud or if he would have said “hell yeah, brother! Turn it up!” /s

I don’t know what to do. I have literally not been able to stop thinking about this interaction since it happened. Should I say something to the manager of the old folks home? Would my neighbor want me to stay out of it? What should I do if I see this happen again; not just at my apartment, but anywhere? I feel especially terrible because the kid had to witness this. Why do I feel guilty? Fuck this entire situation.

To never have to deal with this kind of behavior is the definition of white privilege. Right?

Edit: the fact that I don’t have to, as a white person, deal with this kind of situation personally in my life regularly (or at all) is where the privilege lies. Not the person being overtly racist being white privilege.