Incident outside of Racine Public Library, Monday, 03-Aug-2026, about 11 am

 

So I picked up a piece or two of litter on my way into the library, Lake St entrance, and tossed the litter in the trash bin not far inside the library. I saw a pair of child’s sandals in there, a rubbery plastic, pink, looked perfectly usuable, so I pulled them out and set them right next to the trash bin, on the floor, to help me to remember to take them on my way out of the library after I look at the new books, etc.

 

I leave the library about ten minutes later, taking the sandals intending to give them to Value Village.

 

I approach my car across the street. I set them down on the pavement, momentarily, near my car while I pick up a piece of litter that I’ll toss out at home.

 

I toss that bit of litter and the sandals into my car and then this Black guy in his SUV vehicle with his, I think, white girlfriend pulling out of the parking lot adjacent to the apts across from the library asks me some challenging question about the sandals, seems he thinks I thieved them.

 

I say I found them in the library trash.

 

He doesn’t believe me saying something like, ‘I saw you pick them off the sidewalk.’

 

I insist on my story, and he’s not having it.

 

I think I hear his girlfriend say something like ‘C’mon’ trying to discourage him from his irateness, etc., like maybe she’s seen him get too-easily hot with people before.

 

I reach into my car, retrieving these precious sandals, and toss them into his lap thru his open window, something that he did not appreciate, saying ‘Here, they’re all yours!’

 

He tosses the sandals onto the pavement.

 

He gets out of his SUV and angrily says, ‘Don’t fuck with me!’ He adds a threat along the lines of ‘I can kick your ass!’

 

I get into my car and he gets into his. I watch the mirror as he drives off to go back out and get the littered sandals after he’s out of range.

 

I see a girl, perhaps age 9 appear and pick up the sandals and walk off.

 

Cool.

 

I leave grateful that I did not get beat up or shot.

 

I’m not sure he said ‘side walk.’ I think he said ‘side’-something. Possibly he saw the sandals at the side of the trash bin while I am off looking at books.

 

But what a great fuss over cheap-ass child’s sandals.