The Murder in Oklahoma Speaks Volumes About Race Relations

I read about the young Australian baseball player being murdered by three young teenagers and for whatever reason, I knew that they were African American.  These teenagers indicated that they were bored and picked this young man out randomly while he was jogging down the street.  Passersby were unable to revive this 23 year old from Australia.  I am shocked that there is no outrage expressed by African American leaders.  We just went through a period of introspection after the Trayvon Martin murder.  Outrage was expressed though a multitude of marches throughout the country.  There was random violence also.  Why is the no outrage about this act of cowardice?

I can understand the anxiety that any parent would have about sending their children to another country.  I couldn't imagine sending my children overseas in this current era of uncertainty. Christopher Lane must have had an abundance of talent to be noticed by college recruiters in this country.  His parents must have had some hesitancy about sending him to our country.  We cannot pass gun control legislation and about 40 people are murdered a day here.  We don't have murder rates like South Africa but we are losing people at a rapid rate to gun violence.

I am going to try to put myself in the minds of these young men who committed this murder.  It's early in the day and they probably had a few beers and smoked a few joints.  Cable might have been cut off and the same old television shows were on.  It was too early to be bothered with chicks so they decided to taker a ride and see what was going on in the street.  Michael Jones, all of 17 years old, convinces his two associates to murder Mr. Lane for the fun of it.  They look at each other and all agree to the dirty deed.  What in the name of misguided actions is going on in this country?  These three youth made a split second decision that altered their lives forever and ended the life of an aspiring athlete/international citizen in an instant.



If the victim were black and the three perpetrators where white, we would have a major firestorm on our hands.  There would be marches from Oakland to Philadelphia.  The sinister motives of white people would be questioned once again.  It would be stated: We still have a million miles to go toward equity in race relations!!  Are the families of these young men surprised?  Will they blame the system for making them perpetrate this act of cowardice?  Where is Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton when we need them?  Jesse Sr. is still shocked about his son going to jail but that is another blog topic.

As an individual, I am appalled at the silence from Civil Rights leaders in this instance.  Some are still smarting about George Zimmerman walking free.  The murder of Christopher Lane, like many others in our country, was senseless and unfounded.  With the fact that a young white male was killed, I am also wondering why white leaders are not speaking out.  Do they take murders of whites by blacks as a fact of life.  I feel that the life of Christopher Lane could also be the basis for dialogue about the lack of direction of some African American males.  If non-minorities begin to march about not feeling safe, I would not be surprised.  These youth add to the ongoing uneasiness about race relations in this country.



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