Yesterday, I spent the better part of ten hours making the drive on the 70E from Kansas City to Columbus. I really don’t mind driving. I spend that time turning my brain off, zoning out, finding new music, or my new favorite: audio books. But this drive was different. I spent the majority of this drive figuring out why in the fuck it’s 2016 and I’ve just experienced the worst extent of racism in the last eight years.

I have been very lucky & fortunate to travel the United States since I was 17 years old. On the surface (and especially at 17) traveling and touring the way I did was a dream. I got to meet a lot of really cool people, see a lot of really cool shit, and see some of my favorite bands. As I’ve gotten older and looked back on my experiences, on a deeper level, I have been given perspective. I’ve gotten to see the United States through different eyes. I’ve gotten to see what life is like outside of my Dallas / Fort Worth bubble. I’ve gotten to experience life and began to realize that for better or worse, it’s not all that is portrayed on the news or the media.

When I first started out with my travels, I worked for a Rastafarian by the name of Inoch. An ambitious black man with an entrepreneurial spirit from Trinidad / Tobago. He became not only a boss and a friend, but also a mentor. Living in my Dallas / Fort Worth bubble, I often heard about racism on the news or was taught about it from the history books of my public school education, but never REALLY though it was a real deal or a common occurrence in today’s age and society. But at a young age, I quickly saw how cruel the world can be.

After a long three-day weekend or before really long drives to the next show, it was common that we would get a hotel for the night. On several occasions, Inoch would walk inside to get a room and walk right back out. OK, not so weird. Big rock festivals. Loads of people in town. No vacancy. On to the next one. But after a few times of this happening, I decided I would go in and try to book a room. More times than I can count, Inoch would return to the van after being told “No rooms available.” I would then follow up behind him, ask for a room, and most times would have options between smoking or non-smoking, one or two beds, and floor level preference. The first couple times this happened, I was in shock.

Situations like that were shitty, no doubt. But all-in-all, the good times far outweighed the bad. Racism happened here and there, but at the end of the day it’s just words. You have to dust it off and realize that it’s intolerance and lack of education that makes people say or act the way they do.

Fast-forward to present day. I’ve been traveling and doing these rock gigs from nearly a decade now. And after these past three weeks, I can honestly say that I have not experienced racism to this extent EVER. It is absolutely mind blowing. Just when I thought I’ve seen or hear it all, some racist or bigot would go off on his tangent and leave me speechless.

My good friend and fellow road dawg, Rafael is on this six-week tour. A hispanic that seemed to be encountering and dealing with racism the most on this tour. Little nuances or subtleties would happen here and there, but in my head I was like, “Nah. He’s just taking things personal. People aren’t racist out here.” I sort of turned a blind-eye to the matter not wanting to believe it. But it happened. Over and over again.

Here’s what really kicked things off. Here is the main driver behind me writing this blog. Here is what caused me to snap: A guy steals a t-shirt from my booth. Not THAT big of a deal. It happens and usually results in me getting the product back and telling the person to kick rocks or they are getting kicked out. Not this motherfucker. He had the audacity to lie to me and say he didn’t steal it. To which I responded, “OK, man. Just answer me this. If you didn’t steal this shirt, how did it end up around your neck? I’m the only one here and I know for a fact I didn’t sell it to you.”

He took a step back and said, “I didn’t steal shit. It was your fucking nigger that stole that shirt. Not me.” That’s where I’ll end the story.

On this drive I could only ask myself, “Why?” Why does racism continue to exist? Why am I experience it tenfold than I have in previous years / tours? I can wholeheartedly say that I believe since Trump has gained the traction that he has and has risen to prominence in the manner that he has, it was made racism, bigotry, and hatred less taboo and more acceptable. These neanderthals are coming out of the woodwork and spewing the stupidest shit I have ever heard. And it hasn’t always been this way.

I fear a future where the next potential leader of the greatest nation on earth stands on a platform of hatred and intolerance.

*Featured Image by Scott Uchida