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Post by workingclassdog on Jan 17, 2025 22:46:30 GMT
I'm 56 and never heard of this. Have you? Apparently it is a thing still. I just saw a TT of a young black guy that was traveling by himself in Montana and it was night. Found himself in the middle of some crazy. If this is true (I don't have any ready not to believe it) some cop pulled him over and basically told him to get out as fast as possible and don't stop. It probably saved him.
"Sundown towns were all-white communities in the United States that used violence, intimidation, or discriminatory laws to exclude people of color. The term comes from signs that would instruct Black people to leave town by sundown."
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Post by katlady on Jan 17, 2025 22:48:37 GMT
I've heard of them. Don't know exactly where they are, but I know they exist.
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Post by mollycoddle on Jan 17, 2025 22:52:44 GMT
I only heard of it in the past 10 years or so.
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Post by workingclassdog on Jan 17, 2025 22:57:39 GMT
I've heard of them. Don't know exactly where they are, but I know they exist. If you Google it, there is a map.. not sure if it really applies to 2025 much, but apparently there are towns like this. The kid did stop (before he knew) at a rest stop and went into the bathroom where there was a bunch of KKK stuff written on the walls, he hightailed it out of there. Saw two pickup trucks in the parking lot. That would be enough to scare the crap out of me.. |
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naby64
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Post by naby64 on Jan 17, 2025 22:57:57 GMT
Yes, I've heard of them. Can't remember when. The also mentioned them in the movie "The Green Book". It listed all the sundown towns for safe travels.
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Post by librarylady on Jan 17, 2025 22:59:06 GMT
Yes. Unfortunately a few are in Texas (raise your hand if that surprises you).I was past 40, maybe even 50 before I learned of them).
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basketdiva
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Post by basketdiva on Jan 17, 2025 23:17:45 GMT
I live in a former sundown town. There was another town nearby also and a sundown town.
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moodyblue
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Jun 26, 2014 21:07:23 GMT
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Post by moodyblue on Jan 17, 2025 23:25:17 GMT
Yes, I’ve known what they are for a long time (history major).
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Jan 17, 2025 23:32:21 GMT
Yes, I learned long ago. No idea where I heard. It is frightening to think about.
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Post by AussieMeg on Jan 17, 2025 23:34:40 GMT
Wow, is this for real?! When I read this thread title, I assumed a "sundown town" was somewhere a lot of older people go to live, in their so-called twilight years. Sad to find out it's something this heinous and shameful.
I wonder if this guy really did stumble upon the town by accident, or did he stop there deliberately to bring this disgrace to national and global attention? That's probably not the case, but the thought popped into my head, not having seen the TT.
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Post by arielsmom on Jan 17, 2025 23:47:34 GMT
Yes. Didn't realize they still exist.
Major city next to our village was this way into the 60s. So shameful that it is still a thing. Or ever was.
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Post by alsomsknit on Jan 17, 2025 23:56:36 GMT
Here you go: Sundown Town book
First heard this when Green Book came out. There is a book for everything. |
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dawnnikol
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Post by dawnnikol on Jan 18, 2025 0:01:53 GMT
This was one of the reasons Jason Aldean's "Try that in a Small Town" thing became a "thing". When you see the sticker "Try that in a Small Town", that's essentially Racist Bro Code for "White Peoplez R00L".
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Post by malibou on Jan 18, 2025 0:33:00 GMT
I’ve never heard of sundown towns before. What a horribly gross concept.
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Post by Merge on Jan 18, 2025 0:49:41 GMT
I think not until after I moved to Texas, when James Byrd was essentially lynched in Jasper in 1998. Got a whole education about the small towns of east Texas then.
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Post by teddyw on Jan 18, 2025 1:13:54 GMT
I’ve never heard of sundown towns before. What a horribly gross concept. Me either! No surprise about Jason Aldean. |
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Post by epeanymous on Jan 18, 2025 1:30:47 GMT
Yes. And before they get linked purely to the South, Oregon was big on sundown towns, eg.
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Post by chaosisapony on Jan 18, 2025 1:59:38 GMT
I have never heard of such a thing. If I had seen this anywhere else I would have thought it was like an urban legend or something.
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Post by disneypal on Jan 18, 2025 2:02:05 GMT
I have, sadly, heard of them, but luckily don't know of any.
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Post by workingclassdog on Jan 18, 2025 2:35:08 GMT
Wow, is this for real?! When I read this thread title, I assumed a "sundown town" was somewhere a lot of older people go to live, in their so-called twilight years. Sad to find out it's something this heinous and shameful. I wonder if this guy really did stumble upon the town by accident, or did he stop their deliberately to bring this disgrace to national and global attention? That's probably not the case, but the thought popped into my head, not having seen the TT. Who knows.. it really didn't sound like it.. he was moving from one state to another and had to travel through.. but yeah, could have been made up.. you just never know. |
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Post by workingclassdog on Jan 18, 2025 2:39:15 GMT
Yes. And before they get linked purely to the South, Oregon was big on sundown towns, eg. Apparently they are in all states.. midwest/south the most but it's everywhere. Colorado had about several towns on the map that I looked at. I don't know how true this map is.. but this is one place I looked at. justice.tougaloo.edu/map/you can pick what city and then read the facts about it. |
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Post by peano on Jan 18, 2025 3:40:26 GMT
I hadn't heard of these or The Green Book until the last 10 years. My first thought was I'm sure they were everywhere in Arkansas, where I grew up. And then I looked at the map upthread posted by workingclassdog. Yep.  |
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Post by lucyg on Jan 18, 2025 6:07:36 GMT
Another history major who has known about sundown towns pretty much forever. You might know about them if you read historical novels, too.
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Post by manda on Jan 18, 2025 6:28:24 GMT
They used to be everywhere.
My husband’s (3rd generationJapanese) father opened a pharmacy on Main Street in El Segundo (within Los Angeles County and where LAX airport is) in the 70s and was harassed for being in town after dark and eventually got run out of town.
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Post by malibou on Jan 18, 2025 6:41:13 GMT
Yes. And before they get linked purely to the South, Oregon was big on sundown towns, eg. Ugh, I spent half of my childhood growing up in Oregon. |
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Mary Kay Lady
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Post by Mary Kay Lady on Jan 18, 2025 6:41:46 GMT
It is so very sad that in 21st century America we still have to deal with racism.
I live in Ft Worth, just a mile or 2 from a town called White Settlement. It's on the list of Sundown Towns. At first glance, it seems that it is a racist town, based only on the name. I've lived in this part of FW for most of the 40 plus years I've lived in TX. I frequently have business in WS and the vast majority of residents are white, with a few Hispanics.
Here's a bit of trivia for you: White Settlement, Texas was named by Native Americans and was called White Settlement because that's where many white people lived when they began to settle in this area.
Many times, there have been discussions at city council meetings whether or not to change the name but because of the heritage, most people have voted to keep the name.
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Post by lisapea on Jan 18, 2025 10:33:07 GMT
I recently went down a sub-reddit rabbit hole regarding the overt and even dangerous racism in North Idaho - the entire region is a "sundown town." I could not believe what residents of these areas and visitors were describing. It sounds terrifying, honestly. I guess this region of the country attracts retired law enforcement with a certain mindset about POC, some of the local PBS stations are literally owned by the state, and if you are in a rental car with out of state plates but live locally, you are encouraged to have a sign in the window of the car stating you are local so that you are not harassed. The scariest story I read was of a white couple that loved visiting new areas to hike and just stumbled on a perfect trail in North Idaho as they were passing through. It was a public, state park, and yet not too far in, they encountered some locals that basically walked them right back out and to their car and told them to leave. They drove into town and reported it to the police. The response? "Get back in your car and get on your way." omg! It is sickening that this even exists.
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SweetieBsMom
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Post by SweetieBsMom on Jan 18, 2025 13:29:06 GMT
I learned about Sundown Towns on TikTok (I am CRUSHED we're losing it  ) and went down a rabbit hole. I'm disgusted that this is still happening in this day and age. |
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Tearisci
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Post by Tearisci on Jan 18, 2025 14:25:38 GMT
It is so very sad that in 21st century America we still have to deal with racism. I live in Ft Worth, just a mile or 2 from a town called White Settlement. It's on the list of Sundown Towns. At first glance, it seems that it is a racist town, based only on the name. I've lived in this part of FW for most of the 40 plus years I've lived in TX. I frequently have business in WS and the vast majority of residents are white, with a few Hispanics. Here's a bit of trivia for you: White Settlement, Texas was named by Native Americans and was called White Settlement because that's where many white people lived when they began to settle in this area. Many times, there have been discussions at city council meetings whether or not to change the name but because of the heritage, most people have voted to keep the name. I'm in Dallas county but have relatives who live in Ft. Worth and I've seen the signs for White Settlement. I always wondered who named it that so I appreciate your comments. |
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Post by cmpeter on Jan 18, 2025 15:08:13 GMT
I’ve heard of them, but didn’t realize there many still around.
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) and went down a rabbit hole. I'm disgusted that this is still happening in this day and age. 
