Indigenous Rising

I was at starbucks today, I had time after work to have a coffee before picking up my child from school, and my father showed up to say hi. He was wearing jeans, a tee shirt, a sweater, and hat, and somehow someone mistook him for a person who has no permanent residence. This white man, in a fancy suit, alerted the manager and demanded she remove the “homeless man” from the shop. The manager, a white woman, came over and was asking me if this man was bothering me. I told them he is my father, and is a veteran and is undergoing chemotherapy and deserves respect. They backed off, without apologizing. My father immediately left. He feels hurts and vulnerable, and unwelcome. I can understand if a manager worried for my safety, but I have been crudely approached in that same shop before where I had to loudly say “please, leave me alone” and no one came to my aid. I don’t know if this is about race, or classism, or both, but i am angry. My father was a soldier, a cop (who retired after seeing so many acts of racism and felt powerless), and worked two jobs my entire life (until he developed a brain tumor), and even if he were a person who had no permanent residence he still deserves respect. How can people value certain lives over others?