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!