Bennie Smith, a Memphis native and politician who grew up in a dangerous neighborhood in the city, explains why the assumption of guilt reinforces stereotypes about Black men in America and ultimately leads them into a cycle of poverty and violence. “If you’re born on the 10th floor, you should make it to the 58th floor,” Smith says. “But if you’re born negative 10, you’ve got to go 10 floors to get to zero.“
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