It’s safe to say that the media covers
the news in a feeding frenzy, meaning one story drowns out everything else. The
covering over the Michael Dunn “Loud Music” trial has not gotten the national
coverage of awareness it deserved. Dunn, 47 and white, has been found guilty on
four out of the five charges in the killing of then,17 and black, Jordan Davis. But the jury,
consisting of 4 white women, 2 black women, 1 Asian woman, 4 white men, and 1 Hispanic
man couldn’t reach a verdict on first-degree murder. Sentencing for Michael
Dunn is set for March 24, 2014 and he is to remain in custody until then.
This all occurred at a Jacksonville
convenience store and gas station on November 23, 2012 when Dunn approached a
car with four black teens because of their loud music playing in their Durango
vehicle. The volume of the music disturbed Dunn so much to fire 10 shots and
ultimately kill Davis. The other teens in the car were uninjured.
After the shooting of Davis, Dunn then
fled the scene with his girlfriend and drove to a hotel for the night, ordered
pizza and watched movies. Dunn did not call the police at all that day, and
once the police arrested him the following day, Dunn told investigators that he
fired in self-defense; he saw someone in the car point a shotgun at him. “I saw
a barrel come up on the window, like a single-shot shotgun… It was either a
barrel or a stick. I’m shitting bricks, but that’s when I reached in my glove
box, unholstered my pistol…and I shot,” Dunn told police. No weapons were found
in the Durango. He fired on the Durango and once the car pulled away, Dunn
continued shooting because he was “still scared,” he said.
The same with George Zimmerman’s trial,
under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, you are granted immunity from criminal
and civil charges—even if you didn’t first try to retreat—if you can show you
had a reasonable fear of bodily harm or
death. The question pose is why hasn’t the trial with Dunn enrage America like
it had when black teen, Trayvon Martin was killed? Honestly it has to do with the
media’s ability to dictate what is deemed to be in the public's eye. Davis was hit three times and died in
his seat. He would’ve been 19 on February, 16, 2014 and unfortunately his
parents cannot celebrate it on Earth with him.
Racism will forever remain a problem in America.
Racism will forever remain a problem in America.
