Letters: Clyburn should focus on healing, not division

Rep. Jim Clyburn was quoted as saying he told his 21-year-old grandson that if he’s stopped by police, “You’ve got to deny your manhood if you want to ensure that you come home alive” (“Police shootings: Clyburn had to give his grandson some chilling advice,” July 8).

What in the world could “deny your manhood” mean? I have been stopped by law enforcement officers, both black and white, on several occasions and very politely asked for my driver’s license and proof of insurance, and I do not recall ever having to “deny my manhood” to withstand their requests.

Mr. Clyburn then recounted how after his election to the House, two men refused to get in an elevator with him at the Capital City Club because, “I was a black guy that they did not feel safe to be associated with.”

Our national leaders should stop using this type of rhetoric; it just might push someone like the shooter in Dallas over the edge. Wouldn’t Mr. Clyburn’s time and efforts be better spent stressing the importance of compliance with laws and responding to an officer’s requests or instructions in a civil manner? Let’s stop fanning the flames of hate. We are Americans. We should be proud and follow Martin Luther King’s advice to not judge people by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. Maybe all of us need to concentrate on building character.