"It turns out Sidney Mahkuk was only 11, not 12, when she died of a drug overdose and was found on a Minneapolis street on Oct. 23. This will be a validating tidbit for the legions of smug people angered by my suggestion that we have a communal responsibility to protect vulnerable inner-city children.

Some folks don't want shared responsibility. They want to feel superior. My Nov. 2 column on Sidney drew many e-mails like these:

� "Being poor is not an excuse for not loving your child."

� "Don't blame white society. Where was her tribe? When I have a problem, my white family surrounds me with love. This family has a whole reservation to call on and plenty of resources. Which white folk pay for."

� 'This is not about race or social status, but about parents who didn't keep track of their child.""

Get the Story:
Nick Coleman: When compassion yields to smugness, we lose humanity (The Minneapolis Star Tribune 11/5)
pwlat

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