21st Century lynching?

Earlier this month I read an article in Jet magazine with an internal title of “Standing our Ground” and the cover story title of “Is Your Child Next?” and on completion of my reading all I could think about is the actions taken that caused this young man’s death is 21^st  century justification for lynching. Lord please, say it isn’t so! The teen in this article’s name is Jordan Russell Davis. According to the writing Jordan was, “a promising 17-year-old high school junior who had the hopes of being a Marine.” Unfortunately  he met the likes of an adult that was adamantly objective to the fact that he thought that Jordan and his friends music was too loud, in his opinion. They refused to comply with his request to turn the music down and he then shot into the car 8/9 times. He then left the scene and on the next day when he found out that someone died from his actions he drove to his home 170 miles away. Apparently the gunman had just left his son’s wedding to purchase wine when he encountered the teen and their abrasive volume of music.

This story has so many similarities reminiscent of the Trayvon Martin case. The victims where young vibrant teens with loving parent who cared for both of them. They were not gang bangers or thugs in dress or action. Both cases happened in the State of Florida which has its wonderful law of “Stand Your Ground”. The writing also notes and references the National Bureaus of Economic Research had uncovered a number of 500 to 700 increases in homicides in the states (20) which have Shoot First laws. In addition that the Stand Your Ground Law most often favors Whites. And in about 1/3 of the cases where the shooter is White and the victim is Black the homicides are judged justifiable.  

Personally I’m appalled that these incidents, but unfortunately I am not surprised. I see this as the rational of legalized lynching no different from the 1950’s when Emmett Till was beaten and shot for supposedly speaking to and whistling at a white woman. The legacy continues of being young, black, and doing something that apparently is offensive to a White person. The offensive act is not illegal but the person just doesn’t like the behavior of the Black youth. The actions of the gun welding White men is in my opinion a rational of 21^st century lynching alive and well in the USA. When is it going to stop? What can WE going to stop this? Law makers get into action on these matters; citizens get incest with officials and design active organized committees to find solutions to stop this blatant act of new aged justifiable lynching. (*Note: Jet Magazine, January 14, 2013, pages 16-23, written by Denene Millner)