I must say I was dismayed and embarrassed when I read about the way Kam Chancellor and his friends were treated by Redmond Athletic Club employees. It hardly seems likely people knocking, or even pounding, on a door at 4:45 in the afternoon were up to anything bad. What if someone was hurt and needed help?

I, and I’m sure many others, can’t help but feel there was racial profiling going on. Why not go near the locked door and ask what the people wanted? You don’t need to unlock it. Why weren’t employees encouraged to do so by the police? Why not behave civilly, with basic manners?

Fear. Plain and simple. It’s OK to admit it and apologize. Don’t continue making excuses, grow up. I would love to hear the 911 call, I bet it would reveal a lot. And I can’t help but wonder, if the group were Asian, Indian or white, if the encounter would have gone the same.

I will acknowledge it was an unusual way to inquire about a potential business opportunity, but not completely unexpected given the circumstances of the closing were not well known. Perhaps Mr. Chancellor had a solution to offer that would have saved those people’s jobs. Why wasn’t there a sign with a number to call if the employees were so “scared” about people stopping by or “prowling?” We all must deal with crime, but let’s not let it change behaving with human civility, with color blinders on.

I love that Redmond is so diverse, but as diverse as we are, we do not have a lot of African Americans. I can understand how this can happen, I am just ashamed no one could step forward and say sorry. The police were there. What was there stopping you? I am embarrassed by the bad press received and the bad feelings left with someone wishing to invest in our community.

I hope we do better next time.

Cami Keyes

Redmond