Open season on black teenagers

[regulator 0]

How much more are black people in this country supposed to take?

On Saturday, a Florida jury failed to convict Michael Dunn for the callous murder of Jordan Davis. Though he was convicted of three counts of attempted murder and also on a gun charge, a mistrial was declared for the first-degree murder charge. He will face substantial jail time – perhaps up to 75 years on the four charges for which he was found guilty.

Prosecutor Angela Corey has also publicly declared her intent to seek retrial on the murder conviction. However, she is the same prosecutor who oversaw the Zimmerman murder trial and failed to get a conviction. She is the same prosecutor who has overzealously prosecuted Marissa Alexander, for firing a warning shot into the wall to scare off her violent ex-husband. The Alexander case is the only case of the three for which she has gotten a conviction, and though Alexander has been granted a new trial, Corey intends yet again to send her to prison for 20 years for a crime that harmed no one.

Therefore, I don’t trust Corey. It is clear that Florida prosecutors are fairly unclear about how to defend black life against an onslaught of white murder.

Yes, I know that Jordan’s killer may spend the rest of his life in prison. But this is not about jail time. This case, like the case of Trayvon Martin, hinges on whether white fear legally outweighs and is therefore more legally defensible than black life. The day before Jordan Davis would have turned 19 years old, a court failed to affirm the value of his life, his right to exist in space enjoying music with his friends, his right not to be harassed by someone while doing something as mundane as sitting in a parking lot at a gas station.

Professor Angela Ards said of this decision, “The chilling social logic of this illogical legal verdict is that Dunn has been found guilty of missing the other black boys in the car, of failing to kill them all.”

I think it we can safely and fairly assume that it is open season on black teenagers, if the murders of Trayvon, Jordan and Renisha McBride are any indication.

I teach college students, and in the hopefulness and optimism of their youth, they are often quick to point out that racial politics are so “different in their generation.” But what I see is black students their age being murdered unceremoniously in locales throughout the country, by white or non-black men, who receive insufficient justice for their crimes.

Despite a belief in progress, this moment suggests that young black men’s audacity to exist is a capital offense punishable by murder.

And to be clear, this is not about the music Jordan Davis and his friends were listening to. The global dominance of hip-hop music and the often crass depictions of black life in which hip-hop artists traffic have made it an easy target and scapegoat for white racial anxiety. But white racial anxiety –and in particular the alleged legitimacy of it – is a foregone conclusion searching for facts. In this era, those “facts” seem to be readily available in endless media depictions of violent black males. In the post-Reconstruction era, those “facts” could be found in the swiftness of black progress during Reconstruction. During the tumultuous first half of the 20th century, those “facts” could be found in the audacity of black people’s desire to vote, share equal space on sidewalks, be paid fair wages, and eat at the same lunch counters.

Black being is the problem. Not black thuggery. Black boys officially exist in a state of social death, because the law continues to tell us that their lives, when taken by white men, are legally indefensible. They have been rendered by the law dead men walking. It’s no wonder then that in so many places they act like it. White thuggery, meanwhile, marches on, mowing down black folks at every turn, white sheets, sight unseen.

Many white folks believe that black criminality has produced white fear and that white fear in the presence of black masculinity is therefore always justified. But the opposite is true. White anxiety and fear and racism have produced the myth of pervasive black criminality. Intraracial black violence is a problem, but white racism has produced the concentrated structures of poverty and lack of access to education that give rise to violent behaviors.

Our national inability to tell the truth about this will only lead to more black victims.

In his famous essay “The Discovery of What It Means to Be an American,” James Baldwin wrote, “Every society is really governed by hidden laws, by unspoken but profound assumptions on the part of people, and ours is no exception.”

The truth we need to be telling is that the myth of black male criminality is foundational, not incidental, to America’s national identity. Even if there were no black male criminals, to riff on professor Hortense Spillers’ work, they would have to be invented. The presence of black criminals justifies white male rage, white women’s fear and subsequent white male violence.

The question is how should black people respond? Having seen a lot of violence in my childhood, I’m a deep believer in and practitioner of nonviolence. But in the face of unreasonable violence toward our children, why do black people owe the nation the safety of our reasonable, rational, nonviolent responses? Whether we take it to the streets or stay home and raise our sons and daughters, they are killed all the same.

Black people continue to believe that respectability politics will save us. Jordan Davis and Trayvon Martin both came from “good families,” with fathers who were present. Neither one of them lived to see their 19th birthday this month. Neither one of their killers has been convicted of their murders. How should black people respond? These killings and the inability of our justice system to do justice explode the bounds of reason.

My nephew turned 7 on Jordan Davis’ birthday. By all indications he and his big brother, aged 8, will be very tall men, like their father and grandfather who both hover somewhere around 6 feet, 6 inches. I know my little men to be great soccer players, lovers of Temple Run played incessantly on my smartphone, fierce competitors already, A students, hilarious dancers, sensitive and insightful souls, and a ball of giggles. But far too soon, their parents will have to talk to them about what their imposing body size will indicate to the general public. Where their white peers’ biggest fears will be handled in elementary school drills about tornadoes, hurricanes and thunderstorms, or maybe the perennial deranged young white male school shooter, my nephews will have to have safety drills of a different kind. It won’t just be “stop, drop and roll,” for them, but “Stop, hands up and make no sudden movements. Keep your anger and your fear in check. It just might kill you.”

This is unreasonable. In the face of all of it, black women lavish the men in our lives with the unreasonable love that our nation only knows how to give to white people. Playing surrogates for the nation is a job black women know quite well. In this instance, though, we are acutely aware of the insufficiency of our efforts. In the face of too much hate, our love is so clearly not enough.

http://www.salon.com/2014/02/18/michael_dunn_and_open_season_on_black_teenagers_the_onslaught_of_white_murder/

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Where their white peers’ biggest fears will be handled in elementary school drills about tornadoes, hurricanes and thunderstorms, or maybe the perennial deranged young white male school shooter, my nephews will have to have safety drills of a different kind. It won’t just be “stop, drop and roll,” for them, but “Stop, hands up and make no sudden movements. Keep your anger and your fear in check. It just might kill you.”


Racism in its most exclusive form. How does this woman know anything about what its like to be white?

[normiss 622]

Maybe she should stop over-charging.

While I personally think he's clearly guilty, I don't see first degree charge.
Which was the problem the jury had.
A 9-3 split shows that.

[Andy9o8 0]

Incompetent prosecutors in Florida?? What will they think of next?

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

normiss

Maybe she should stop over-charging.

While I personally think he's clearly guilty, I don't see first degree charge.
Which was the problem the jury had.
A 9-3 split shows that.

This is true. There are a lot of lower-level "you ought not to have killed that guy" charges that don't involve proving cold-blooded premeditation.

Even so, these "stand your ground" laws that are enabling these sorts of defenses to be used are clouding up an otherwise clear issue. Even in Shakespeare's time, you couldn't provoke a fight and then kill a guy and expect to get away with it. And you can't, in a civilized society, allow every lunatic who just "feels threatened" to just open fire into a crowd. We tried the wild west model a couple hundred years ago in the wild west, and found it didn't work very well.

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[kallend 1,623]

FlyingRhenquest

And you can't, in a civilized society, allow every lunatic who just "feels threatened" to just open fire into a crowd.

Well, apparently there are quite a few people who think that you can.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[toolbox 0]

First off,the wild west was not as violent as some would have you believe.In fact,the wild west was a far more polite society than we live in today.
Second,SYG doesn't mean that you can attack someone and then shoot them when you start getting your ass kicked.
You also can't physically attack someone because they are simply following you.
You can't physically attack someone if they are yelling foul things at you.
If someone physically attacks you,then you can defend yourself.

[GeorgiaDon 340]

normiss

Maybe she should stop over-charging.

While I personally think he's clearly guilty, I don't see first degree charge.
Which was the problem the jury had.
A 9-3 split shows that.

I didn't know what the split was, so thanks for that info.

Have you seen any interviews with the jurors where the reason for some to not vote guilty were actually discussed? Something from the actual jurors that indicated premeditation was the issue?

In Florida 2nd degree murder and manslaughter are lesser included charges under 1st degree murder, so the jury could have voted not guilty of 1st degree but guilty of 2nd or manslaughter. That they did not do so suggests to me that the issue was whether or not Dunn thought he was threatened with a lethal weapon. If any juror thought Dunn had a reasonable belief Davis was a threat to his life, then they would have to vote not guilty on every possible charge, but they could still agree that didn't give Dunn the right to try to kill everyone else in the car too. If premeditation was the only issue, they should have convicted for 2nd degree murder of Davis, as well as attempted murder of his companions. So, I suspect the problem was that some (3?) jurors bought the self-defense argument. Even so, I suspect the prosecution might have an easier go of it if they re-prosecute for 2nd degree murder.

However I admit I have seen only one interview with a juror, and that person would have voted to convict and I didn't see actual discussion of why other jurors disagreed.

Don

_____________________________________
Tolerance is the cost we must pay for our adventure in liberty. (Dworkin, 1996)
“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” (Yeats)

[toolbox 0]

Yeah that is some very deep bullshit!
I would like to see Larry Elder tear this woman apart in an interview.
I'm extremely impressed by Larry,he is very intelligent and realistic about what is going on at present.
I loved the last episode I seen of Tavis Smiley that he was on.
He was extremely well spoken as always, and had all his facts straight in response to Tavis Smileys emotionally charged knee jerk rhetoric.
Larry Elder cares about not just the black communities,but about every person weather black,native american,white,asian,hispanic,jews,muslims,christians, and believes that we should see all races as simply the human race.

[DanG 1]

Quote

How does this woman know anything about what its like to be white?

How do you know anything about what it's like to be black?

- Dan G

[Andy9o8 0]

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I suspect the problem was that some (3?) jurors bought the self-defense argument.

That's one possibility. But another possibility is that some jurors were dead-set on 1st degree murder, while other jurors were dead-set that while Dunn was culpable of 2nd degree murder and/or manslaughter, it was not 1st-degree murder, and the two camps could not be reconciled. Thus: impasse = deadlocked jury on that charge.

[regulator 0]

DanG

Quote

How does this woman know anything about what its like to be white?

How do you know anything about what it's like to be black?

At what time did I claim to know what its like to be black as she did for whites?

[regulator 0]

Andy9o8

Quote

I suspect the problem was that some (3?) jurors bought the self-defense argument.

That's one possibility. But another possibility is that some jurors were dead-set on 1st degree murder, while other jurors were dead-set that while Dunn was culpable of 2nd degree murder and/or manslaughter, it was not 1st-degree murder, and the two camps could not be reconciled. Thus: impasse = deadlocked jury on that charge.

since it was deadlocked can't they re-try him again?

[rhaig 0]

what would you say about someone who left the scene of an argument in a house, went into the garage, got a gun from their car, walked back into the house (past two unlocked doors) and fired a shot at (near?) their spouse (with children nearby), that shot striking the wall, going through the wall and lodging into the ceiling of the next room? All of this while violating a restraining order.

--
Rob

[wolfriverjoe 1,340]

regulator

***

Quote

I suspect the problem was that some (3?) jurors bought the self-defense argument.

That's one possibility. But another possibility is that some jurors were dead-set on 1st degree murder, while other jurors were dead-set that while Dunn was culpable of 2nd degree murder and/or manslaughter, it was not 1st-degree murder, and the two camps could not be reconciled. Thus: impasse = deadlocked jury on that charge.

since it was deadlocked can't they re-try him again?

Yes. They can and are going to.

It's actually mentioned in your (very long) OP.

And it's really been "Open Season" on young black males for a long time. They have the highest murder rates of any demographic in the US by a fairly large margin.
Most are killed by other young black males (anybody remember U2 and their controversy?)

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[regulator 0]

rhaig

what would you say about someone who left the scene of an argument in a house, went into the garage, got a gun from their car, walked back into the house (past two unlocked doors) and fired a shot at (near?) their spouse (with children nearby), that shot striking the wall, going through the wall and lodging into the ceiling of the next room? All of this while violating a restraining order.

I would say the person should have left in their car instead of retrieving a firearm.

[rhaig 0]

regulator

I would say the person should have left in their car instead of retrieving a firearm.

In that case, today you learned why Marissa Alexander was found guilty once, and likely will be again.

--
Rob

[Amazon 7]

regulator

Where their white peers’ biggest fears will be handled in elementary school drills about tornadoes, hurricanes and thunderstorms, or maybe the perennial deranged young white male school shooter, my nephews will have to have safety drills of a different kind. It won’t just be “stop, drop and roll,” for them, but “Stop, hands up and make no sudden movements. Keep your anger and your fear in check. It just might kill you.”


Racism in its most exclusive form. How does this woman know anything about what its like to be white?

It does seem that many people are mighty skeered and don't like to handle the truth as it exists. She is telling a reality of what black people have to deal with, and that apparently disturbs nearly every poster and every article on the Council of Conservative Citizens website.

[rehmwa 2]

toolbox

First off,the wild west was not as violent as some would have you believe.In fact,the wild west was a far more polite society than we live in today.
Second,SYG doesn't mean that you can attack someone and then shoot them when you start getting your ass kicked.
You also can't physically attack someone because they are simply following you.
You can't physically attack someone if they are yelling foul things at you.
If someone physically attacks you,then you can defend yourself.

this is silly - let's make it very simple, since it really does seemed aimed at very simple idiots with violent egos


"Don't attack others first, period - grow up.
If someone physically attacks you,then you can defend yourself."



((I do think there is a big gap there, though, that doesn't address deadly threats outside of the initial physical contact.))

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[GeorgiaDon 340]

rhaig

***
I would say the person should have left in their car instead of retrieving a firearm.

In that case, today you learned why Marissa Alexander was found guilty once, and likely will be again.My vague recollection (which may be inaccurate) is that she claims she left, but realized she did not have the car keys. When she reentered the house to get the keys her boyfriend/husband tried to attack her, and she fired a warning shot.

Whether or not that story is true, it does show that it is possible for a situation to be more complicated than "she should have left in her car". If your choice is to go back and try to get your keys, or to leave your car and attempt a long walk home in the dark through sketchy neighborhoods, never knowing if or when your ex is going to show up in his car and try to run you down or something, I think we can agree that it's not completely unreasonable to try to get your car keys.

Prosecutors get paid to paint things in black and white (so to speak), because grey might lead the jury towards empathy or understanding for the accused. However the real world sometimes is grey.

Don

_____________________________________
Tolerance is the cost we must pay for our adventure in liberty. (Dworkin, 1996)
“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” (Yeats)

[rhaig 0]

this writeup has some summary, but also quotes (with links to originals) court documents that aren't dispited. http://minx.cc/?post=341684

I know there have been many versions of this reported in media. I don't know what was reported.

Quote

[Gray] moved to the living room where his children were. Subsequently, [Alexander] emerged from the master bedroom and went into the garage where her car was parked. [Alexander] testified she was trying to leave the residence but could not get the garage door to open. (The Court notes that despite [Alexander's] claim she was in fear for her life at that point and trying to get away from [Gray], she did not leave the house through the back or front doors which were unobstructed. Additionally, the garage door had worked previously and there was no evidence to support her claim.) [Alexander] then retrieved her firearm from the glove box of the vehicle. [Alexander] returned to the kitchen with the firearm in her hand and pointed it in the direction of all three victims. [Gray] put his hands in the air. [Alexander] shot at [Gray], barely missing his head. The bullet traveled through the kitchen wall and into the ceiling in the living room. The victims fled the residence and immediately called 911. [Alexander] stayed in the marital home and at no point called 911.

This page: http://mediatrackers.org/florida/2013/07/16/no-marissa-alexanders-conviction-was-not-a-reverse-trayvon-martin-case-in-florida has a more detailed description, but fewer source links.

--
Rob

[turtlespeed 212]

Andy9o8

Incompetent prosecutors in Florida?? What will they think of next?

A nation wide suicide epidemic for lawyers?

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[lawrocket 3]

People are just now figuring out that it is open season on black teenagers? How about blacks in general.

The homicide rate for blacks in America is 15 per 100k. For non-blacks it's 3 per 100k.

Open season? Season's been going on for a long time. And people just don't give a shit.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[Bertt 0]

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I think it we can safely and fairly assume that it is open season on black teenagers, if the murders of Trayvon, Jordan and Renisha McBride are any indication.

When I was teaching my kids to drive, I told them to "look where the danger's coming from". If you're a Black parent, you have to realize that the biggest threat to your kids is not some old white guy. It's another Black guy. The Zimmerman case attracted a lot of attention. The Dunn case attracted a lot of attention. In the two years between these cases, about 16,000 Black people have been killed by other Black people. Is this just so common that it's not newsworthy?

You don't have to outrun the bear.

[wolfriverjoe 1,340]

Bertt

...In the two years between these cases, about 16,000 Black people have been killed by other Black people. Is this just so common that it's not newsworthy?

Pretty much. Unless there's something especially noteworthy about the victim or the circumstances, they might get a couple of seconds on the local news or an inch or two in the local paper. That's usually about it.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo