We're in the midst of a series of high-profile trials of white Americans who fatally shot unarmed African Americans, which we are constantly told are not about race. Not only is this a losing strategy for the prosecution, but it's dishonest.
Michael Dunn, a 47-year-old software developer, shot and killed 17-year-old Jordan Davis, a black teenager he'd argued with about loud music emanating from Davis' car, parked in front of a Jacksonville, Fla., convenience store. Last month the jury hung on the top charge of murder for that killing (while convicting Dunn of attempted murder for firing into the fleeing vehicle). Dunn's retrial is set for May.
Interracial killings aren't necessarily racially motivated, but in this case Dunn, who is white, began the altercation by complaining about Davis' loud "rap crap," "thug" music. Are we to imagine that he would have had the same reaction to high-decibel Taylor Swift tunes? If any doubt remained, Dunn's series of letters from jail clarified his disturbing mindset.
Yes, It Is About Race | Lisa Bloom
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