[sankofalist]Being Black in America
Michelle K. Massie
michelle@mwcreativegroup.com
Sat, 06 Aug 2005 15:45:00 -0400
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Posted on Fri, Aug. 05, 2005/Phila. Daily
News_krdDartInc++;document.write('');
Elmer Smith | Harassed pair handled it well, because 'Ida'...
THIS COULD have been the story of a local radio personality facing federal
felony charges stemming from a brawl on a cross-country flight.
Or it could have been the story of how two local men were wounded by
federal air marshals who misread their fight as a distraction staged in a
terrorist takeover.
Or worse.
The fact that it isn't those kind of stories should confirm that E. Steven
Collins handled himself and a potentially life-threatening situation exactly
as he should have early Monday on a USAirways red-eye flight from L.A.
Collins, who is black, was sitting in first-class when a passenger sitting
behind him allegedly started muttering racial slurs and kicking the seat of
Collins' wife, Lisa.
The man was arrested. But Collins and his wife hardly had their feet on the
ground after a five-hour ordeal at 30,000 feet before he had to deal with
the "Ida reaction."
"Ida" is what I call that knee-jerk, macho response most men instinctively
utter when they hear about a guy who restrains himself in the face of a
physical challenge from another man. If the incident has racial overtones,
as this one did, you get multiple "Idas."
The sentence usually starts "if that was me, Ida..." or "If he had tried
that with me, Ida..."
My personal favorite is the one that opens with a kind of begrudging
praise:
"You're a better man than me, bro. 'Cause Ida..."
Either way, "Ida" gets invoked with every re-telling of the confrontation
until the guy who reacted with restraint can end up feeling like less than a
man for failing to kill somebody.
"I know, I know," Collins said with a resigned chuckle yesterday. "That's
all I've heard from a lot of people. I even heard it from police at the
airport.
"It's ironic. We just had a horrible weekend, a lot of guys killing each
other. You ask what it's about, is it drugs? Women? No, it's respect."
Or disrespect if you believe Collins' account of an incident involving him
and a Blue Bell man named Robert Baldwin who sat behind him on the flight.
Collins said the plane hadn't even left the ground before Baldwin started
muttering racial epithets and complaints about having to ride with
"n------."
He said the situation got worse as Baldwin began to kick Lisa Collins' seat
and escalated to a point that Baldwin took off his shoes and put his feet up
on Lisa Collins' headrest and later thrust his foot through the opening
between the Collinses' seats.
A flight attendant responded to Collins' repeated pleas for relief, but
couldn't do anything to stop Baldwin, Collins said.
Collins says USAirways failed to follow through on a promise to have
security officials meet the flight and resolve the issue. City Councilwoman
Blondell Reynolds Brown was on the flight but didn't see the incident. She
called Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson after she learned of it.
More on Race:
Why Racial Profiling Won't Work,
today's PhillyFeed podcast.
Baldwin was arrested at the baggage-claim carousel. He faces a preliminary
hearing on Sept. 19 on charges of ethnic intimidation, misdemeanor assault
and a misdemeanor harassment charge.
Baldwin has declined to speak with reporters for the Daily News or for
other news outlets who have attempted to get his version of the events.
A USAirways spokesman said the airline is conducting an investigation and
"apologizes to that family and any other passenger who felt harassed in this
incident."
"I sat on that plane with all of that going on for hours," Collins told me.
"I felt totally impotent to help my wife. I couldn't do a thing about it."
Collins, who is 6-2 and weighs in at more than 230 pounds, may have been
able to handle the smaller Baldwin in a physical confrontation.
But then what?
"In this post-9/11 world we live in," Collins said, "there's no telling
what would have happened next if I had hit this guy. I might have been going
to jail.
"But Lisa was my rock. She just kept saying, 'I can handle this. You just
handle what happens when we get off the plane.'
"The flight attendant assured us that someone would meet the flight. But it
didn't happen. I spoke to a USAirways representative when we landed. But he
said he couldn't do anything.
"If it wasn't for Blondell Reynolds Brown, he would have got away with it."
Collins, who is national sales manager for Radio One Philadelphia, which
operates three stations in Philadelphia, also hosts "E. Steven Live" on WPHI
(103.9-FM). He said he has not decided whether to sue Baldwin or USAirways.
"This is not about money," he said. "I earn a good living. I don't need to
do that.
"I'm not sure what I'll do. I haven't even hired an attorney to represent
me in this yet.
"This was shocking to us. We paid our way on. Nobody gave us a ticket.
"I know I've never, ever experienced anything like this in my private life.
This was a first for me."
But he handled it like a seasoned veteran, despite what you might hear from
"Ida."
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<TITLE>Being Black in America</TITLE>
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<FONT SIZE=3D"4"><FONT FACE=3D"Courier, Courier New"><SPAN STYLE=3D'font-size:13.=
0px'>Posted on Fri, Aug. 05, 2005/Phila. Daily News_krdDartInc++;document.wr=
ite('');<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
Elmer Smith | Harassed pair handled it well, because 'Ida'...<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
THIS COULD have been the story of a local radio personality facing fe=
deral felony charges stemming from a brawl on a cross-country flight.<BR>
<BR>
Or it could have been the story of how two local men were wounded by =
federal air marshals who misread their fight as a distraction staged in a te=
rrorist takeover.<BR>
<BR>
Or worse.<BR>
<BR>
The fact that it isn't those kind of stories should confirm that E. S=
teven Collins handled himself and a potentially life-threatening situation e=
xactly as he should have early Monday on a USAirways red-eye flight from L.A=
.<BR>
<BR>
Collins, who is black, was sitting in first-class when a passenger si=
tting behind him allegedly started muttering racial slurs and kicking the se=
at of Collins' wife, Lisa.<BR>
<BR>
The man was arrested. But Collins and his wife hardly had their feet =
on the ground after a five-hour ordeal at 30,000 feet before he had to deal =
with the "Ida reaction."<BR>
<BR>
"Ida" is what I call that knee-jerk, macho response most me=
n instinctively utter when they hear about a guy who restrains himself in th=
e face of a physical challenge from another man. If the incident has racial =
overtones, as this one did, you get multiple "Idas."<BR>
<BR>
The sentence usually starts "if that was me, Ida..." or &qu=
ot;If he had tried that with me, Ida..."<BR>
<BR>
My personal favorite is the one that opens with a kind of begrudging =
praise:<BR>
<BR>
"You're a better man than me, bro. 'Cause Ida..."<BR>
<BR>
Either way, "Ida" gets invoked with every re-telling of the=
confrontation until the guy who reacted with restraint can end up feeling l=
ike less than a man for failing to kill somebody.<BR>
<BR>
"I know, I know," Collins said with a resigned chuckle yest=
erday. "That's all I've heard from a lot of people. I even heard it fro=
m police at the airport.<BR>
<BR>
"It's ironic. We just had a horrible weekend, a lot of guys kill=
ing each other. You ask what it's about, is it drugs? Women? No, it's respec=
t."<BR>
<BR>
Or disrespect if you believe Collins' account of an incident involvin=
g him and a Blue Bell man named Robert Baldwin who sat behind him on the fli=
ght.<BR>
<BR>
Collins said the plane hadn't even left the ground before Baldwin sta=
rted muttering racial epithets and complaints about having to ride with &quo=
t;n------."<BR>
<BR>
He said the situation got worse as Baldwin began to kick Lisa Collins=
' seat and escalated to a point that Baldwin took off his shoes and put his =
feet up on Lisa Collins' headrest and later thrust his foot through the open=
ing between the Collinses' seats.<BR>
<BR>
A flight attendant responded to Collins' repeated pleas for relief, b=
ut couldn't do anything to stop Baldwin, Collins said.<BR>
<BR>
Collins says USAirways failed to follow through on a promise to have =
security officials meet the flight and resolve the issue. City Councilwoman =
Blondell Reynolds Brown was on the flight but didn't see the incident. She c=
alled Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson after she learned of it.<BR>
More on Race:<BR>
<BR>
Why Racial Profiling Won't Work,<BR>
today's PhillyFeed podcast. <BR>
Baldwin was arrested at the baggage-claim carousel. He faces a prelim=
inary hearing on Sept. 19 on charges of ethnic intimidation, misdemeanor ass=
ault and a misdemeanor harassment charge.<BR>
<BR>
Baldwin has declined to speak with reporters for the Daily News or fo=
r other news outlets who have attempted to get his version of the events.<BR=
>
<BR>
A USAirways spokesman said the airline is conducting an investigation=
and "apologizes to that family and any other passenger who felt harass=
ed in this incident."<BR>
<BR>
"I sat on that plane with all of that going on for hours," =
Collins told me. "I felt totally impotent to help my wife. I couldn't d=
o a thing about it."<BR>
<BR>
Collins, who is 6-2 and weighs in at more than 230 pounds, may have b=
een able to handle the smaller Baldwin in a physical confrontation.<BR>
<BR>
But then what?<BR>
<BR>
"In this post-9/11 world we live in," Collins said, "t=
here's no telling what would have happened next if I had hit this guy. I mig=
ht have been going to jail.<BR>
<BR>
"But Lisa was my rock. She just kept saying, 'I can handle this.=
You just handle what happens when we get off the plane.'<BR>
<BR>
"The flight attendant assured us that someone would meet the fli=
ght. But it didn't happen. I spoke to a USAirways representative when we lan=
ded. But he said he couldn't do anything.<BR>
<BR>
"If it wasn't for Blondell Reynolds Brown, he would have got awa=
y with it."<BR>
<BR>
Collins, who is national sales manager for Radio One Philadelphia, wh=
ich operates three stations in Philadelphia, also hosts "E. Steven Live=
" on WPHI (103.9-FM). He said he has not decided whether to sue Baldwin=
or USAirways.<BR>
<BR>
"This is not about money," he said. "I earn a good liv=
ing. I don't need to do that.<BR>
<BR>
"I'm not sure what I'll do. I haven't even hired an attorney to =
represent me in this yet.<BR>
<BR>
"This was shocking to us. We paid our way on. Nobody gave us a t=
icket.<BR>
<BR>
"I know I've never, ever experienced anything like this in my pr=
ivate life. This was a first for me."<BR>
<BR>
But he handled it like a seasoned veteran, despite what you might hea=
r from "Ida."<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
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