Neighbourhood Watch Kills Unarmed Black Kid

[Gravekeeper]

No charges have been filed.

The police also won't release the 911 call.

Long story short: Black kid in mainly white neighbourhood is walking home from a snack run to 7/11. White dude whose the leader of the local Neighourhood Watch is driving around, packing a 9mm, looking for suspicious stuff. Spots black kid, thinks he's suspicious because hey, black kid out at night. He calls the police and tells them he sees a suspicious person ( He doesn't say why ), police tell him not to do anything, they'll handle it. He says "They always get away" to the dispatcher.

He then follows the kid in his car, despite the cops telling him not to do anything. Kid notices a car stalking him and confronts the guy. A scuffle occurs and the guy shoots the kid dead. Kid had nothing but a bag of Skittles. Guy had a 9mm.

Guy claims self defence and there are no charges.

So, just in case you weren't pissed off yet this morning. ;p

[DrFaroohk]

Regardless of color, kids can get mouthy and defensive. It wouldn't surprise me if the kid was like "You ****** I'll cap you ass you *** *** ***!" And started rushing him.

[the_std]

It wouldn't surprise me if the kid was like "You ****** I'll cap you ass you *** *** ***!" And started rushing him.

Nice! As if this whole thing wasn't racist enough, you had to go and add another layer to the hatred cake.

[SkullKing]

Nice! As if this whole thing wasn't racist enough, you had to go and add another layer to the hatred cake.

How is his comment racist?

all he said was that sometimes kids, when confronted get aggressive, and the situation escalates when it could be diffused

[jackfaire]

How is his comment racist?

all he said was that sometimes kids, when confronted get aggressive, and the situation escalates when it could be diffused

Uhm did you not notice that his comment implies the "defensive" kid went for death threats the kind of which are seen in bad rap songs cuz of course being Black the kid doesn't know any other way to speak right?

[lordlundar]

Why am I not surprised to see that it comes from Florida?

[the_std]

How is his comment racist?

all he said was that sometimes kids, when confronted get aggressive, and the situation escalates when it could be diffused

If he'd said that kids, when confronted get aggressive, I might have agreed. But no, he want off in ebonics slang. "I'll cap yo ass?" Really?

[Mytical]

Yes, we don't have any proof what transpired there. No reason to think the kid, when confronted would immediately get hostile. None at all. While the person patrolling WAS looking for trouble. Somebody definitely looking for trouble, somebody we do not know how they acted/reacted..sorry going to think the person who went looking for trouble is in the wrong until solid evidence suggests otherwise.

Also there is the small fact that .. gun to a fist fight. Yeah..even if the kid was in a fighting mood..over reaction much?

[HotelKatz]

I'm tempted to believe that the guy in the car just shot the kid the moment the kid noticed the car.

There's little information to go on about what really happened, but it seems to me that the guy in the car just wanted to take the law into his own hands. It also seems like the guy was also a bit racist and saw a chance to kill someone and claim it was self defense.

[SkullKing]

If he'd said that kids, when confronted get aggressive, I might have agreed. But no, he want off in ebonics slang. "I'll cap yo ass?" Really?

I didn´t notice that. didn´t know "cap" was "ebonics"

[HYHYBT]

How is walking suspicious, anyway?

[Amanita]

^Yeah, considering a thread we've got going elsewhere, about kids who act all "gangsta" and speak that way, even when they're lily white. You don't have to be black to get confrontational and aggressive when somebody asks you what you're doing somewhere. Some teens in general can be rather defiant at times.

The situation described in the OP just sucks, there was no need of it. This guy gets off with nothing, while how many others legitimately defending themselves from harm get charged anyway?

[Greenday]

There's little information to go on about what really happened

And that's my problem with this case. The only things we know is that a while adult male shot and killed an unarmed black adolescent. Unless people are using articles not mentioned in this thread, we don't know what happened at all other than that. We don't know who confronted who. We don't have proof of racism. We don't know if the adult followed the kid around. There's just really no story to go along with what happened.

[crashhelmet]

And that's my problem with this case. The only things we know is that a while adult male shot and killed an unarmed black adolescent. Unless people are using articles not mentioned in this thread, we don't know what happened at all other than that. We don't know who confronted who. We don't have proof of racism. We don't know if the adult followed the kid around. There's just really no story to go along with what happened.

What really fuels the speculation is the police refusing to release the tapes of the 911 calls. The family is suing to have them released so they can find out what happened prior to the shooting.

Did the shooter really say "They always get away" like he was determined to make sure it didn't happen this time? Did the police really tell him to do nothing and wait, or did they tell him to try and detain him because he was breaking in to something?

Did he really call 911 or did they show up after the neighbors called because of the gun shot they heard? Did he shoot first and call 911 later?

The tapes may paint a better picture of what happened that night.

[Andara Bledin]

I didn´t notice that. didn´t know "cap" was "ebonics"

It's not the word, it's the entire phrase. It's the perpetuation of a racist stereotype; he's putting ghetto slang into the mouth of someone who more likely speaks like, say, Wil Smith.

^-.-^