Aaron McKie's New Neighborhood All in an Uproar About His Move

Aaron McKie has had some recent trouble with the law -- an alleged 2001 attack on his then girlfriend is what got him in trouble recently for attempting to purchase a handgun -- but that does not make him any different from a large portion of America.
However, a member of the exclusive Gladwyne community, a suburb of Philadelphia, apparently took umbrage to the idea that McKie would be welcome as a new neighbor. So much so that a flier was distributed anonymously throughout the mailboxes in the community, which read:

"Attention please, read if you care about your neighborhood!!! How can we prevent Aaron McKie from moving into our safe and peaceful neighborhood. His house is almost complete on Youngsford Road. Let's prevent another Iverson from moving in!"

The stereotypical idioms expressed in the flier -- referring to McKie as "another Iverson" -- certainly seem to stem from a racially based prejudice rather than an actual belief that McKie is dangerous. Or, as Matt at the 700 Level said, it's a good guess "that the characteristic [Allen Iverson] and McKie share that is bothering the pamphleteer isn't that they're both professional athletes or possessors of criminal records."

Fortunately, the majority of the neighbors in the community disagree with the flier's contents, expressing mostly shock and disdain that someone within the community would behave in such a public, albeit anonymous, manner. (Not to mention so poorly punctuated!)

"It was a disgrace," said Joe Brown, who lives a few doors down from McKie's nearly finished stone mansion on Youngs Ford Road and got one of the two-page flyers Saturday. "I have no idea what they were thinking."

McKie himself was, oddly, less exacerbated by the entire ordeal than the current homeowners, although obviously it has to be something that concerns him.

"What's new? You know how that stuff goes. They want to try to convict you before you even go on trial," he said. "I have to look into it. I have a family. I'll see what happens."

It's an awkward situation for McKie, of course, but even more so for the homeowners who already reside in the community. Essentially, one lone and anonymous voice has spoken louder than everyone else, and regardless of their protests, painted a picture of Gladwyne for the rest of the country that will be difficult to look past.