RACE DOES MATTER!

WOMAN: WHAT COLOR WAS THE GIRL WHO ALLEGEDLY SHOT AND KILLED HER FATHER?

It's something most people won't admit but they're always curious about. The race of a person in the news.

I was at the Harris County Juvenile Justice Center on Thursday. A woman who works in the building began chatting with my photographer and I. She asked a question that sparked a dialogue long after she was gone. That question: What color was she?

That's what the woman asked when she questioned us about a 12 year old little girl who allegedly shot and killed her father in Katy. The woman was honest and blunt. She felt if the juvenile was a white girl she would likely get special treatment because of her race. She was honest but it doesn't necessarily mean it's true.

But the woman's bold question is a query a lot of people in the African American community make when there is a crime where the race of the suspect is unknown especially a juvenile. My photographer, who's white, reluctantly admitted he frequently wonders the race of a person when they're in the news. I admit I wonder what race a person is when it's not clear what group that person represents.

I think it's part of human nature so we can put that situation in a box in our minds. That lead me to another issue. Do we expect certain races to do certain things? It's a running joke with comedians who say if there is a serial killer they have to be white. Or if it was a shooting over drugs they have to be black.

What do you think? Do you ever secretly and quietly wonder the race of a person when it's unclear. The Insite would like to hear your honest opinion!