LOS ALTOS TOWN CRIER -- Brumfield, 29, is a Palo Alto resident and a History and Journalism double major at San Francisco State University. He also works full time at California Closets on State Street. He was at the post office June 23 to ship some packages to clients when he encountered the confrontation.
Brumfield is a 6-foot-tall Black man with dreadlocks. In the year and a half he has worked in downtown Los Altos, he has received stares, and people have crossed the street upon encountering him – out of fear, he believes. According to the most recent U.S. Census data, 0.4 percent of the Los Altos population is Black or African American.
“I don’t see anybody that looks like me there,” Brumfield said. “Unfortunately, I am an anomaly in the middle of downtown Los Altos.”