Keller ignored him, pointing aggressively at the sidewalk. "Get back now, kid!"
The harsh tone made Isaiah flinch. Something inside Cedric snapped. "You don't speak to my son like that!"
"Oh, now you want to act tough?" Keller sneered.
"No, I want you to stop escalating this!"
Keller squared his shoulders. "You people always say that."
"What does 'you people' mean?" Cedric demanded coldly.
Keller caught his slip. "That's not what I said."
"Yes, it was."
Briggs stepped in again. "Grant, stop." But Keller doubled down.
"You're making this bigger than it needs to be."
Cedric laughed bitterly. "You put handcuffs on a man watering his lawn!"
"Because someone reported suspicious behavior—"
"Because I'm Black!"
"There you go, making everything about race," Keller scoffed.
"Because you came here already believing I didn't belong!"
In the heavy silence that followed, Isaiah spoke up softly, his voice trembling. "My mom warned us this would happen. She said people around here look at Dad different."
Elaine looked away, unable to meet the boy's eyes.
Just then, a retired firefighter named Leonard Pike, who lived next door, stepped forward. "That's enough," Leonard said firmly. He pointed directly at Keller. "I know this man. He's a good neighbor."
Keller crossed his arms. "Sir, stay out of police business."
"No. I watched you cuff a homeowner for standing outside."