Tragic story offers something that connects with our humanity and kinship

Officers Painter (R) and Jefferson (L) were close friends

Officers John Painter and J.J. Jefferson were killed in the line of duty Tuesday, responding to a suspicious person report on the campus of Bridgewater College in western Virginia.

The suspect was captured alive and taken into custody.

Speaking of race: I broke the law 40 years ago, and my whiteness probably helped me get away with it ... now what?

The red and blue flashing lights cut through the darkness and scared the teenage hell out of us.

It was the middle of the night, well after midnight — probably after 2 in the morning, through the years have erased many of the details — and neither I nor my new friend had a valid reason to be where we were.

And neither of us had a valid driver’s license.