While sleeping in the House in Patriot, I was awakened by some children arguing outside. I went into the kitchen, and the children left, but they soon returned outside and began arguing again. Two of the children were black boys (7-8 years old). They each had a bicycle and I thought they were the ones causing the argument. Finally I ran outside and said to the black boys, "All right, we're going to settle this argument right now. We're going down to your home and talk to your parents about this."

I began walking down the road with the two black boys and another boy until we reached a house, and went in through the front door. There we encountered a white man, who I realized was the father of the other boy (who was white) with us. Indeed the white boy told me the man was his father. I said to the father, "I live up on the corner house there, and we've been having some problems with children coming up there and arguing. These two black boys and your son come up there on their bicycles and argue with the children in our section."

Although the man listened to me, he seemed unconcerned about the matter. I continued, "I'm not sure who's right or wrong in these arguments. That's not the part I'm trying to bring up. I'm just trying to say that it would be better if these children could be talked to so they wouldn't argue up there."

All the while I was thinking that I was acting like a lawyer in the matter, trying to settle a dispute.

After listening to me a while, the man walked over to a record player and put on a country music album. Obviously he wasn't paying attention to me. I thought, "Well it's probably just hopeless talking to these people down here."

I turned around and left.