What is the most racist city or town you have ever been in?

My parents told me this story. Back in 1984 when we were moving from Houston to Chicago, we stopped for gas at a town in Arkansas. As we were about to leave, a local sheriff came up to us and talked to my parents for a couple of minutes, and then recommended that we leave by the time the sun went down, for our own safety. In fact, it was probably best if we just got back on the highway right away.

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bijouxbroussard · F

Seriously, when I was a child we spent every summer in Louisiana, where my parents’ families still live, and we would occasionally visit other relatives in Georgia. We saw "whites only" signs various places. One time we had to drive through SE Texas, and we saw an actual billboard that said "N*gger, Don’t Let The Sun Set On You Here". I was just learning to read and asked my father what it meant. He replied, rather grimly, " It means we really have to leave." 🙁

latinbutterfly · F

@bijouxbroussard Vidor, Texas? I read about that place. It was a sundown town for much of its existence, apparently.

bijouxbroussard · F

@latinbutterfly Yes, that was it.

REMsleep · 41-45, F

@latinbutterfly I live about an hour and a half from Vidor.
When I was little we always tried never to stop there. Make sure that we have gas

Bang5luts · M

@latinbutterfly at the risk of sounding ignorant
I'll still ask, what's a sundown town?

latinbutterfly · F

@Bang5luts A community where you had better not be a certain color or race when the sun goes down.

Bang5luts · M

@latinbutterfly oh. Where i live right now is every race, if you're not driving a nice car you better not be out after dark.

Bang5luts · M

@latinbutterfly I'm not in any way down playing what racist cops and small minded people do in other parts of the country, I am simply stating the town I live in they cops try to talk everyone into a night in jail