It was a job transfer. My job being, I'm the guy who goes to all the bad neighborhoods and makes sure your alarm system is working right, or fixes it if some burglar tries to smash it with a hammer or something. I've had two guns pulled on me in the course of this job, and I've been directly threatened and also warned many times. They have ALL been in black neighborhoods, and the reason for the hate was my white skin.

Oakland, at least the area I was in, was not much of an exception. One look around and I could see I had the wrong color skin, once again. I thought about leaving my wife at home, alone, all day long while I would be out and about. That idea lasted for three days, then when I was leaving for work one day, a five-squad-car police chase ended at my complex (a supposedly safe, 'gated' complex.. The fugitive jumped out of his car, over the gate, and into the complex looking for a door to kick in or a place to hide or a hostage to take, to try to escape the cops.

I asked for a transfer, the position in Washington opened up after about three weeks, I left literally within half an hour of finding out. Just threw everything into the car and headed out, I didn't want to give anyone a chance to reconsider.

I wouldn't shed any tears if all of bay area was swallowed up in the sea.