By: Emma Wang

Dan O’ Dell, 66, lives in a mansion within a gated community. Despite this, he is still concerned about rising crime within other American cities. Additionally, he only has 5 security cameras without night vision. That’s where Tony Thurman comes in.

Thurman is the owner of Shield Security Systems in Kansas City. He says that “Some people put in the minimal system,” but that others put in Fort Knox (Paquette 1). Surveys find that everyone has been paranoid lately, fearing child predators, burglars, and gangs. Gun purchases have reached record sales, and it seems more and more people are seeking solutions to better protect their homes.

Thurman, who is an African American man, fears that paranoia encourages action before question–for example, the black teenager who was shot because he rang the wrong doorbell by accident. Sometimes, Thurman’s clients forget that they had an appointment, and he could just be a stranger on their doorstep for a few moments. He notices that a lot of people’s views come from the news that they watch, and the social media accounts that they follow.

Thurman tries to stay neutral, telling clients that he has voted for both Democrats and Republicans. He also recites facts that he learned over the 13 years that he had been in the business. He was the only black kid in class, and the son of a Harlem Globetrotter and a church secretary. He learnt to be forgiving and found that if he was the top student in class, then he could erase the stereotypes.

Others who had previously let their children “run about” with their friends, now refrain from doing so. Thurman had visited Kelli Cox after visiting O’ Dell. She was planning to install a swimming pool in the backyard, and wants to get security cameras up before the crew starts working.

He called before visiting Joe Howard, who was one of his top referrers. Howard kept six guns at home and notices that there has been a surge in crime. He says that he would aim if someone he didn’t know and looked dangerous stepped into his yard, but he won’t shoot anyone who won’t hurt him.