It all began while at this billboard.

Of the HBO award-winning series called “Boardwalk Empire”.

What struck me was the photo of these gangsters. I’ve always been fascinated with the Italian mob.

While observing the billboard, there was a tall, well-dressed African American man to my left.

He says, “Those were the original gangsters and now there’s the Crips and Bloods.”

I say, gang violence makes me sad and mention how a friend in Chicago witnesses the youth dying from gang violence every day.

“That’s because my people don’t know who they are.”

I stop (big mistake), turn around and asked him what he meant by that.

He tells me his people, the American blacks (not the African Americans) and Latinos, are the real Jews and not Jewish people.

Somehow I made the second mistake by mentioning that my husband is half black.

There’s no half black!  He’s either black or he isn’t. Is his father white or black?

I tell him, black.

He’s black then. Period. End of story.

I proceed to bury myself even further by asking him a question.

I asked him what his thoughts were on inter racial marriage.

He responds, there is no hope for me. But there is hope for my husband if he repents by divorcing me.

Is this guy for real?

He says, I’m white and there is no hope for rednecks. White people are from the lineage of Esau. All white people are of the devil.

At this point, my head is spinning.

He continues with his rant about New York City being like ancient Egypt. The buildings like Rome. And all white people will become slaves or destroyed by fire.

He criticizes black women passing by, saying they dress like whores, and they learned it from white women.

He then spots a group of Jehovah Witnesses’ and shouts for them to come over.

They see me, I’m sure with a forlorn expression and asked if I was ok.

I told them that according to him, I have no hope of salvation because I’m white and if my husband, who is black, doesn’t divorce me, he and my children will be destroyed for eternity.

They immediately whip out The Watchtower and Awake magazines, plus their New World Translation bibles.

He quickly bends down, unzips his black duffel bag and takes out his marked-up Apocrypha and King James Bible.

The four Jehovah Witnesses’ were black, so he was on a mission to open their eyes to his truth.

But what I was able to see in their exchange was that he was getting bible verses wrong.

I didn’t have a bible with me (I know, shame on me), but when the Jehovah Witnesses showed up, they were going through their bibles as he was quoting scripture and calling him out on his mistakes.

They all were smart, kind, educated and respectful.

I’ve always been impressed with the Jehovah Witnesses’.

I don’t concur with their theology, but I do respect their dedication.

I personally know of a few and their work ethic is impeccable. They are more dedicated than most evangelicals I know, myself included. They put us to shame actually.

I digress, what an experience.

I actually felt bad for the guy. I mentioned to him that most of my friends are black, so he called me a nigger lover.

At that point, I realized there was no reasoning with him. He was completely convinced white people are the enemy and can’t be trusted.

I walked away feeling helpless and sad. What a disappointing experience.

Have you ever encountered something like this?