Finally, Justice for Jordan Davis

News 4 JAX reported that:

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -
Michael Dunn is back inside the Duval County jail after he was found guilty Wednesday of first-degree murder for killing 17-year-old Jordan Davis on Nov. 23, 2012, in a dispute over loud music outside a Gate gas station.

A sentencing hearing was set next Tuesday to discuss sentencing, but he likely will not learn his punishment until later this year.

Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty, so Dunn, 47, faces life in prison without parole when he's sentenced. He also awaits sentencing on at least 60 years in prison on February convictions on three counts of attempted murder and firing into an occupied vehicle. The first jury deadlocked on the murder charge.

The jury in the retrial, comprising eight men and four women, deliberated for about five and a half hours. The retrial lasted six days.

Dunn did not appear to have an immediate reaction to the verdict. Later, he turned around and somberly shook his head toward his parents, who then left the courthouse without making any comment.

At least for this brief moment in time, the verdict in the Michael Dunn case restores hope, hope in the America's promise and potential. The predominately white jury rejected white privilege. They refused to allow white skin to serve as a license to kill black people. They rejected the stereotypical presumption that black men are inherently dangerous and prone to criminality and thuggery. They rejected the concept that black people are expendable and worthless. Through their verdict, the jury proclaimed that all human life is sacred and precious. For that, I commend them.

Finally, there is justice for Jordan Davis. Now, we need justice for Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin and the countless other victims of senseless violence.

Jurors 4 and 8 Are Wrong: The Michael Dunn Trial Was All About Race

I listened to the interviews of jurors 4 and 8 on Nightline and CNN, respectively. Both jurors stated that they voted to convict Michael Dunn for the murder of Jordan Davis. Juror 4, who is white, stated that she believes that Michael Dunn got away with murder. In the end, nine jurors wanted to convict Michael Dunn for the murder of Jordan Davis. Three jurors wanted to acquit Michael Dunn of the murder charge.

Both jurors essentially stated that race was not a factor in the case. Juror 8, who is African American, stated that she "never thought once,  'This was a black kid. This was a white guy.'" She said that the case "was about justice," not race. When asked if race was a factor in the case, juror 4 said, "Sitting in that room, it was never presented that way." To a certain extent, she is correct.  The prosecution and the parents never discussed the huge elephant in the room, race.

Although I commend jurors 4 and 8 for their commitment and fairness, I strongly reject the notion that this case was not about race.  This case was about race on at least two levels. The first level is the actual crime. This case is about a racist white man who wanted to teach some young black "thugs" a lesson for not obeying his orders to turn their "thug music". Such racial animus is further expressed in his jail letters complaining about thugs.  The word "thug" is simply a more palatable word for nigger.

The second level is the verdict. Like the Trayvon Martin case, the Amadou Diallo case, the Sean Bell case, the Emmett Till case and countless other cases, the Michael Dunn case is yet another example of black man being murdered and denied justice, at least for now.  If no one else was in that vehicle, Michael Dunn would be free today.

From the time of the classic American film, Birth of a Nation, until today's modern hip hop era, the African American male has been depicted as a public enemy, a threat, a menace, a predator, an animal, a criminal and a danger. As a result of such programming, many people are willing to accept unsubstantiated narratives that conform to those negative stereotypes of black men.

In this case, there were three young black men in the car with Jordan Davis at the time of the shooting. They all testified that there was no gun in their vehicle. There was no object in the car that could be reasonably mistaken for a gun. Witnesses testified that they did not see anyone in Davis' vehicle discard or hide a firearm. The police did not recover a firearm.

Moreover, immediately following the shooting, Dunn never mentioned to his fiance that Davis threatened him with that imaginary weapon. Oddly, Dunn testified that he continued to fear for his safety immediately after the shooting. Yet, he never called the police. Instead, he returned to his hotel room, ordered pizza, had a few drinks, watched a movie and went to sleep. That substantially undermines his creditability.

Nonetheless, none of that matters. For some, including the three holdout jurors in this case, one white man's testimony carries more weight than three young black men's testimony. Unfortunately, when some white people are presented with narratives that conform to their racist stereotypes about young black men, logic is negated and discarded. If Jordan Davis was a white boy or white girl,  no juror would believe Dunn's lie about seeing a gun. Again, this case was all about race.

Reflecting on the Michael Dunn Verdict

Good morning, family. Check out my video. In the video, I share my thoughts about the Michael Dunn verdict. The struggle continues. We must continue to demand justice for Jordan Davis.

The Jury Must Find Michael Dunn Guilty!

After engaging in a brief argument with Jordan Davis over loud music, Michael Dunn aimed and fired three shots at Jordan Davis. The bullets passed through the door piercing Jordan Davis in the thigh and groin. The fatal shot pierced Jordan Davis' liver, lung and a major artery. As Jordan Davis' vehicle pulled away, Dunn continued to fire shots at the vehicle further endangering the lives of the three other passengers in the vehicle. Simply put, Michael Dunn killed Jordan Davis just because he played his music too loud. At the end of day, a young brother's life was snuffed out just because he refused to obey a white man.

Clearly, Dunn is intoxicated with white privilege and racism. His statements are evidence of his utter contempt for black youth.  He complained about "thug music", "thugs" and "gangsters".  His hatred for black people was expressed in his jail house letters. In those letters, he discussed the need to teach "thugs" a lesson. Football player Richard Sherman is correct. The word "thug" is simply a code word for "nigger". As reported on CBS 47 WTEV, here are a few excerpts from those letters:

"As you can imagine, I'm not getting much sympathy from the press. The're (sic) a bunch of liberal b*****s." He goes on to say "North Florida is more like the Deep South. They seem to have a lot of racial guilt, or at least the prosecutor's office does." 

"It's spooky how racist everyone is up here and how biased toward blacks the courts are.

"This jail is full of blacks and they all act like thugs," he notes. He goes on to say "This may sound a bit radical but if more people would arm themselves and kill these **** idiots when they're threatening you, eventually they may take the hint and change their behavior."

"My fear is that if I get black on my jury it will be a mistrial, as I am convinced they will be racially biased," he writes.

He accuses the other three boys who were in the SUV with Jordan Davis the day of the shooting of making up stories to "cover up their true 'colors.'"

During the trial, that monster, Michael Dunn, expressed no emotion when he testified about killing Jordan Davis. Yet, when Dunn began to testify about his pet dog, he was reduced to tears. Obviously, in his eyes, the life of his precious little dog is more important than the lives of Jordan Davis and the other three black boys in the vehicle.

Dunn claims that he acted in self defense. He claims that he saw a gun. He claims that Jordan Davis got out of the car and threatened his life. Dunn claims that he continued to fear for his life even after the shooting.

However, the evidence contradicts those claims. The police did not recover any weapons at the scene. Police did not find any weapons in the area where Jordan Davis' vehicle traveled. No other witnesses saw a gun in the Jordan Davis' vehicle car. No one witnessed the passengers stashing or discarding a weapon. Moreover, Davis has no criminal history. There is nothing in his past that supports the notion that he would be armed and dangerous. Other than Dunn, no one else testified that they heard Jordan Davis threaten Dunn. Additionally, as the medical examiner testified, the nature of Jordan Davis' injuries and location of the bullet holes do not support the claim that Davis was outside of the vehicle.

Oddly, right after the shooting, Mr. Dunn did not tell his fiancé that Jordan Davis had a gun. If Jordan Davis really threatened Dunn with a gun, Dunn would have immediately told his fiance when she returned to the car.  Furthermore, instead of calling the police after the shooting, Mr. Dunn returned to his hotel room, walked his dog, had a drink, ordered pizza, watched a movie and later slept like a baby. He did not bother to call the police. Does that sound like someone who was distraught?  Does that sound like someone who feared for his safety? In sum, Dunn's story is inconsistent with the evidence. It does not add up. Dunn is guilty as hell.

No rational jury would find Michael Dunn not guilty. After the infamous George Zimmerman verdict, this nation cannot afford another not guilty verdict. For the stake of Jordan Davis' family and this nation, I hope and pray that the jury returns a verdict of guilty. Hopefully, later on today or tomorrow, this article will be outdated and Michael Dunn will be carried out of the courtroom in handcuffs.

Otherwise, the message will be crystal clear: it is open season on black people. The message will be that there is no justice for black people in America. The message will be that our lives are worth less than a piece of fecal matter being flushed down a toilet.

If we cannot depend on the state to protect us, we will have no alternative. We will eventually have to stand our ground and defend ourselves. A hopeless people will become a dangerous people. Maybe then, Florida will change their gun laws. Maybe then, Florida will repeal their ridiculous stand ground laws.

Justice for Jordan Davis - Opening Statements

Good morning. TGIF. Yesterday, the prosecution and the defense made their opening statements in the Michael Dunn trial. Justice for Jordan Davis!

Stand Up and Demand Justice for Jordan Davis!

The photograph for this article is the avatar that I use for my Twitter account. It symbolizes the gross injustice that black people face in this country. Those young black brothers were lynched by white men.  They were lynched because of the color of their skin.  Yes. For all intents and purposes, George Zimmerman is an honorary white person. Those racist white men believed that they were entitled to play the role of judge, jury and executioner. Trayvon Martin and Emmett Till were denied justice. Their bloodthirsty murderers walked free. In those two cases, the message was clear: black life is worthless in America. A dog's life has more value.

On several occasions, people have asked me, "Who is that person on the right side of the photograph?" He is Jordan Davis. His killer's trial began yesterday.

The Grio reported that:

Authorities say an argument over loud music led to the shooting. Davis was parked in a vehicle with three friends outside the store. Dunn and his fiancée had just left a wedding reception and were heading back home when they stopped at the store and pulled up next to the sport utility vehicle that Davis was sitting in.

An argument began after Dunn told them to turn the music down, police said. One of Davis’ friends turned the music down, but Davis then told him to turn it back up.

According to authorities, Dunn became enraged and he and Davis began arguing. One person walking out of the convenience store said he heard Dunn say, “You are not going to talk to me like that.”

Dunn, who had a concealed weapons permit, pulled a 9 mm handgun from the glove compartment, according to an affidavit, and fired multiple shots into the SUV, striking Davis in the back and groin.

Dunn later told police he felt threatened. His attorney has said Dunn saw a gun and shot in self-defense, perhaps laying the ground work for a case under Florida’s “stand your ground” law.

If the case sounds familiar, that’s because it has echoes of a trial that received wide attention and happened only two hours away.

George Zimmerman fatally shot Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teen, in Sanford in 2012. Zimmerman, who is Hispanic, was acquitted of second-degree murder in July 2013. He was prosecuted by Jacksonville’s State Attorney Angela Corey, who will also be prosecuting the Dunn case.

We cannot allow Jordan Davis to be denied justice like Emmett Till and Trayvon Martin. We must not rest. We must blog. We must speak out. We must protest. Stand up, people. We must demand justice for Jordan Davis!

There Will Be Justice for Jordan Davis

Shout out to Sam McClary.

Good Morning family. News One reports that:

On Thursday night, a grand jury indicted 45-year-old software developer Michael Dunn (pictured right), who allegedly shot and killed 17-year-old Jordan Davis (pictured), on a first-degree murder charge and even added counts to his charges, according to the Florida Times-Union.

Sending a strong message, a grand jury decided to upgrade Dunn’s second-degree murder charge to first-degree murder. If convicted, Dunn would face life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Dunn also had three counts of attempted murder added to his charges for potentially harming the other youths that were in the car.

NewsOne spoke with Attorney Eric Guster about the murder case and he explained that this type of charge upgrade is standard when a grand jury has been presented with all of the necessary evidence:

“Being that Jordan Davis was unarmed and killed, it appears that the grand jury listened to the evidence in order to properly charge Michael Dunn with first degree murder.

“A grand jury has the right to upgrade, downgrade or dismiss charges after listening to evidence. In this case, it will be interesting since Mr. Dunn has stated he should be found not guilty because of Florida’s controversial Stand Your Ground Law. After reading and researching this case, I see no way for him to be acquitted by that defense.”

When the news initially hit that Davis was murdered over loud music, Dunn’s lawyer implied that his client would invoke Florida’s Stand Your Ground law in his defense. When NewsOne asked Guster about how Stand Your Ground would hold up in his defense, he said that it was unlikely that Dunn has any case at all:

“Witnesses have stated that Jordan Davis was playing his music too loud and this caused Dunn to become angry. A confrontation occurred which led Davis to shoot Jordan. With that being the case, there is no way Stand Your Ground or any other self defense claim can be justified.”

Hopefully, this a sign that there will be justice for Jordan Davis. Keep pushing. Keep fighting.

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"The Hunt is On, and Brother, You're the Prey"

In his beautiful song entitled A New World Order, Curtis Mayfield said, "The hunt is on, and brother you're the prey." Sadly, that remains true today. We are hunted by vigilantes like Zimmerman.  We are hunted by racist police officers.  And yes, we are even hunted by some of our own misguided brothers and sisters.

Earlier this year, George Zimmerman hunted and shot down Trayvon Martin for being a black teenage in a white neighborhood. After killing Trayvon, Zimmerman was free as a bird for over forty days. If we did not protest, Zimmerman would probably be free today. At least for a brief moment in time, we were outraged. We mobilized, organized, wrote, marched and spoke. Once the killer was finally arrested, we were pacified. We took off our t-shirts, put away our protest signs and went back to sleep. As Ayesha says on Lupe's new cd, "and two weeks later, it was back to normal." After all was said and done, the Stand Your Ground law remained in place as a license to kill black people.  If black people formed self-defense groups and openly brandished firearms, perhaps then Florida would repeal that law.

Now, a white man has lynched another brother, Jordan Davis. More specifically, when a group of black teenage boys refused to turn down their music, Michael Dunn fired 8 shots into the car striking Jordan Davis twice. Again, the people have righteous indignation. Again, the bloggers will blog. The civil rights spokespersons will speak. The activists may march and protest. Then, the people will go back to sleep, and "it will be back to normal."  How long will we be angry this time? 

To make matters worst, African Americans are frequently the victims of police harassment and brutality. Instead of fulfilling their oath to protect and serve, many police officers are agents of oppression. They have joined the hunt to kill black men. Remember Sean Bell, Amadou Diallo, Oscar Grant, Malice Green and countless other victims. For a comprehensive list, please read Shanika's Daily Kos article entitled Hey America! Can you please stop killing our (usually) innocent Black male children?

In addition to being hunted by racist vigilantes and police officers, we are hunted and killed by our own. Such fratricidal killings are far more frequent than attacks by racists Klansmen, Nazis, self-appointed neighborhood watchmen and wannabe Dirty Harrys. Regardless of which political party is in the White House, the same cycle of violence continues. Although there are plenty of stop the violence organizations, marches and rallies, the violence continues.

On the local news, we constantly hear tragic stories about black males killing black males. For example, as reported on WBAL TV,  "a man stabbed in the neck overnight early Saturday has died, and two others were shot in separate weekend incidents in Baltimore, police said." As reported in the Chicago Tribune, "last night in the South Shore neighborhood in Chicago, five people were hospitalized after a shooting."

Here are a few sobering statistics cited in a Wall Street Journal article.

Overall, more than half the nation's homicide victims are African-American, though blacks make up only 13% of the population. Of those black murder victims, 85% were men, mostly young men.

Despite the declining U.S. murder rate, killings remain stubbornly high in poor pockets of cities large and small. In some cases, the rate is rising sharply. That increase is draining resources from police, prosecutors, social workers and hospitals.

As of Friday, Philadelphia police had been called to 223 homicides, compared with 198 last year. Chicago has recorded 337 murders, compared with 263 in the year-earlier period, a 28% jump. Public outcry there escalated after June 27, when stray bullets fired by an alleged gang member killed 7-year-old Heaven Sutton in a poor area on the city's West Side. Uproar over the little girl's death led Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to announce a gang crackdown in neighborhoods with high murder rates.

Our communities have become killing fields. Murders are so frequently that we have become desensitized to the violence. Even civil rights activists have become numb to the violence. Over twenty years ago, we listened to songs like Self Destruction and Stop of the Violence.  Unfortunately, such songs remain relevant today.  In contrast to the conscious music of the past, today's popular music glorifies guns and murder. This violence has become the new normal. Rest in peace t-shirts, rest in peace murals and makeshift memorials are common in the hood. When we do muster up the energy to hold to stop the violence rallies and marches, it is temporary. Again, things go back to normal until the next senseless killing.

As long as black men are hunted in the streets like animals, things should never go back to normal. It is time to take a real stand.  We do not need anymore "here today, gone tomorrow" protests. We must develop and sustain a true movement that addresses the systemic causes of the violence. We need leaders who will be around when the cameras leave.  We must lobby to end the Stand Your Ground laws in Florida and elsewhere.  We must lobby state legislatures, Governors, Congress and the White House to enact stronger anti-racial profiling laws. Instead of building prisons, we need to build minds.  We must empower our youth with the education that they need to build their future.

This article is cross-posted on Jack and Jill Politics.