OP could have mentioned visiting the grandparents without mentioning which state that was. Yes the South has a problem, but drawing lines like this is a way for the rest of us to pretend that we don't. I seem to recall that some issues have arisen in some Midwestern cities recently?
Sorry if my comment drew lines, that was not my intention. I just wanted to highlight a particularly vivid memory I had at a very impressionable age which has helped contribute to my desensitized reaction to this - the lack of which I am a little worried about.