Interracial couples Please respond (Tampa, Pensacola: crime, job market, neighborhoods)

[LissaF26]

My parents and siblings keep reminding me about the Martin case in Sanford. Well, I am a african american female with a caucasain hubby. We have two children. We are moving in December and I am so tired of people telling me how racist alot of people are in FL. I am from MN and we don't encounter anything here We visted a few times and recently and did not encounter anything there either. We are going back to visit Pensacola in August with the kids this time. We are all very excited about the new adventure. But, I am getting very discouraged and don't even want to move anymore because of all the "bad" things people keep saying. For all you interracial couples please shed light on this. I know it exists everywhere but good gracious....

[powellmacaque]

I'm not apart of an interracial couple, but I've lived all over Florida and I've worked in the Entertainment and Service Industries: I've seen people at their drunkest and most obnoxious.

Not to get political, but regarding the Martin case: when any young person dies, it is truly a travesty, regardless of race.

That being said, I think the Pensacola PD and Escambia county sheriffs department are a bit prone to profiling. Not just racial, but if you're young, "alternative," gay, black, hispanic, liberal, libertarian, etc I think you might have a harder time getting out of a speeding ticket than a typical WASP from Pensacola.

Aside from that, most of the Pensacola I experienced was a radical change from the "deep south" of yesteryear. I never heard the "n" word. I've never experienced hatred solely on race. The thing about Pensacola is the rich white guys are truly rich and the poor are equally poor, no matter the race.

I would encourage anybody to move to Pensacola. While there may be a few exceptions to the rule, it is a relatively mild-mannered city with little "racism," at least from my particular point of view.

[JMF6165]

Originally Posted by LissaF26

My parents and siblings keep reminding me about the Martin case in Sanford. Well, I am a african american female with a caucasain hubby. We have two children. We are moving in December and I am so tired of people telling me how racist alot of people are in FL. I am from MN and we don't encounter anything here We visted a few times and recently and did not encounter anything there either. We are going back to visit Pensacola in August with the kids this time. We are all very excited about the new adventure. But, I am getting very discouraged and don't even want to move anymore because of all the "bad" things people keep saying. For all you interracial couples please shed light on this. I know it exists everywhere but good gracious....

Lissa,

I'm from Minnesota too. I just returned from five days in Pensacola. I first spent time there in the Navy and this is my third trip back since then. I love it there and would like to find a way to relocate there. On this last trip I saw many interracial couples around town. I know they were not all tourists by the accents. I would not let what happened in Sanford deter you. There are pro's and cons, good and bad about all areas.

[roadtrip75]

My parents and siblings keep reminding me about the Martin case in Sanford.

It sounds like they are ignoring the much bigger threat facing you (and them). 93% of black murder victims were killed by other black people (source). 98% of gun assaults in New York City were committed by blacks and Hispanics (source),

[jhadorn]

Not really sure if my relationship would be considered interracial by US standards, but my wife is of West Indian, East Indian, and Hispanic descent from Belize. We live in Mississippi with complete acceptance, and my wife has done well for herself with a Mississippi college education and the opportunities presented her in Mississippi.

My take on the issue of race in the South is that whenever a crime is committed that involves a white person and black person, it inevitably gets extensive coverage and becomes a racially motivated crime in the eyes of the rest of the country, and people say "it's the south, what do you expect?", even though statistically these crimes do not occur any more often than other parts of the country.

Many times that same crime can happen in other parts of the country, and even though it may be racially motivated and have extensive coverage, no-one comes to the conclusion that the area is racially intolerant.

I had a black friend from California who moved to Memphis. We were both in the radio announcing profession at the time, and he needed a job, so I spoke to the manager of the radio station I worked for in Oxford, MS who agreed to interview him.

My friend never showed up for the interview because his parents told him we still hang black people in Mississippi, and that he would end up dead if he came here, yet he felt perfectly safe on the other side of the state line in Memphis, just 3.5 hours from where the KKK originated.

[Marazul]

Originally Posted by LissaF26

My parents and siblings keep reminding me about the Martin case in Sanford. Well, I am a african american female with a caucasain hubby. We have two children. We are moving in December and I am so tired of people telling me how racist alot of people are in FL. I am from MN and we don't encounter anything here We visted a few times and recently and did not encounter anything there either. We are going back to visit Pensacola in August with the kids this time. We are all very excited about the new adventure. But, I am getting very discouraged and don't even want to move anymore because of all the "bad" things people keep saying. For all you interracial couples please shed light on this. I know it exists everywhere but good gracious....

Yes, a lot of racist people in FL depending on where you go, heard about another case somewhat similar to the Martin Case, but in Sarasota 2 weeks ago, Shawn Tyson got life sentence for murdering 2 British tourists.

My gf is African American, I'm mixed but look 100% Latin, as far as living, we check a few neighborhoods, didn't like the vibe from any black or white neighborhoods and decided to stay in a Spanish neighborhood, no problems here.

This is in the Tampa Bay area, never been to Pensacola so it might be different, but not interested in checking it out and moving out of FL soon, having kids and don't want to have them here.

If you like the area you visit for a while and you feel comfortable there and the surrounding areas where you'll most likely be going, maybe you should consider moving, but I'm not interested in staying another day in this state or any of the southern states.

[CoreLysium]

I don't mean to profile, but most bigots are old. And you'll get as many dirty looks from the old black people as the old white people. Younger people don't care generally. Mixed race families are more of a curiosity. As are gay couples.

Not sure about the job market discrimination/tokenism. I figure it's on par with the rest of the country.

[Nancy in Nokomis]

We are also an interracial family (my son is Korean) moving to Gulf Breeze and did not see any racism when we visited and saw other "mixed" families - I think because the military has a lot of interracial families and worldly attitudes. I am hoping not much racism in the area.

Since I am white I do know racism is sometimes "hidden" - sometimes I hear comments even here in the liberal D.C. area because everyone assumes the rest of my family is white.

[Laura707]

I haven't been to P'cola in a long time but still have family there. When I lived there, it was not uncommon to see mixed couples and no one thought anything of it.

The great thing about P'cola is, it is a Navy town so it has a mixture of all kinds of clutures. Heck, in our family alone we got blacks, Japanese and Guamanian's along with the white blood.

I do think you will always run into racism everywhere but it is less and less out there and they are being out numbered as time goes on and will be less and less tolerated.

[Labfamily]

Pensacola has a ton of mix race couples! It saddens me when people paint states or other people with a broad brush. Your family and siblings need to do some soul searching because they might be causing some of their own issues.