The trial for Michael Dunn, a Florida man who shot and killed a Black teenager after they began arguing over loud music at a gas station, begins today and is eerily similar to the tragic case of Trayvon Martin.
Ever since Dunn shot and killed 17-year-old Jordan Davis in November 2012, two questions were inevitably asked: Will Dunn be the next George Zimmerman and will Jordan Davis be the next Trayvon Martin?
Dunn is facing charges of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder after he fired several shots into the SUV that contained Davis and three of his friends.
The altercation started when Dunn asked the group of boys to turn down their music at the gas station. Dunn alleges that a verbal altercation led to death threats and a shot gun was pointed at him.
Police who responded to the incident found no weapon inside the car.
Dunn insisted that he was afraid for his life and that’s why he shot Davis, who was sitting in the back seat of the SUV.
Lance deHaven-Smith, a Florida State University public policy professor and former president of the Florida Political Science Association, said that the death of yet another Black teenager is exposing a frightening truth about “Stand Your Ground” laws.
“It gives the appearance that Stand Your Ground law – even if Dunn does not use it (as a defense) – authorizes and encourages shooting African-American men,” deHaven-Smith said.
While the family’s attorney, John Phillips, has decided not to center the case around race, Dunn wrote several letters that suggest he based his decision to shoot Davis off the fact that he thought the young boy was a “thug.”
“This case has never been about loud music,” Dunn wrote to a news anchor in October. “This case is about a local thug threatening to kill me because I dared to ask him to turn the music down.”
A series of other letters and phone calls have recorded Dunn calling the victim a string of other “alleged racial comments,” according to court documents. However, Dunn’s attorney is asking that these are not brought to court as evidence.
Phillips says the shooting is an example of a blatant lack of value for another person’s life.
“It is about respect for the person next to you,” Phillips said. “Some do not value life because of different races, lifestyle choices, religions and a host of other ignorant reasons.”
Dunn’s attorney, Cory Strolla, insists that the truth will come out at the end of the trial and his client will walk away a free man.
“We fully expect that the testimony of the young men will prove that they conjured up a story four days after the incident to protect their friend, Jordan Davis, from his threats and violent actions against Mr. Dunn,” Strolla said.
Davis’s family plans to attend most, if not all, of the trials and said that they have to find out exactly what happened to their son and why.
Reporters will not be allowed into the courtroom for today’s proceedings.
He should be convicted thats not stand your ground, there was no weapon and he hadnt hit him.
Terry T Magyar, your comments sickens me. Its disgusting.
The greatest threat to any man, is another man who has half a brain and a big gun, especially in the South.
Another one bites the dust…Black men be aware….!! White men are afraid, and angry at BLACK men…so they kill in reaction to that… In Chicago, In South Carolina, in Florida (x2) ..Jim Crow is alive and well, all around America…
Funny, Magyar, a Hungarian refugee, fleeing the Balkans, sides with his former oppressor , why??, skin colour , thats all
Tell that to Jordan Davis parent,you disgusting piece of shtt.
David Howard, I couldn't care less for Michael Dunn. It reads like he committed a "hate crime", Dunn's life was NOT actually threatened'
However, young black men across the nation are killed by other young black men. It happens so often in large cities it doesn't make the national news. Locally, 80% of black children can't read at their 3rd grade level. Only 1 in 3 graduate high school and are twice as likely to drop out. The preferred juvenile detention center is high school, with an ankle bracelet. More black high school students have murdered more black peers than any other race.
Many in Ohio are advocating mandatory pre kindergarten and/or all day kindergarten, because the black race is already failing 1st grade. They are performing so poorly in 1st and 2nd grades, that by 3rd grade they can no longer function at a proper grade level. They are flunking 3rd grade.
I suggest black adults are failing black children. These adults might be called parents (or parent). The over whelming numbers of murders of young black men are other young blacks. Just read your local paper, watch the news, listen to your neighbors.
The lone "white devil" is murdering a young black man occasionally, but black on black murder is weekly in many cities, almost daily in Chicago. How do we prevent this ? How do we even begin to slow it down ?
Maybe after he gets off he'll point a weapon at a white woman and be instantly charged.
We can prevent this if you shut up your dirty, disgusting mouth, and stop writting rubbish which is completely unrelated to the Dunn murder case. So blacks should be shot and killed, simply because they are uneducated, or simply because other blacks kill blacks. You are an incarnation of real evil. You look really disgusting and filthy. I bet you a piece of shit is worthier than you.
This guy was in his vehicle and the teens were in their vehicle at a gas station. Both came to this location to probably get gas. If this guy didn't like the sound of their music then drive away. LEAVE PEOPLE ALONE. He was wrong to confront the teenagers for playing their music, in their vehicle. This grown man was a bully who picked a fight teenagers. Why???? I believe he did so because he knew he had a gun in his vehicle. I doubt very seriously whether he would have told them to turn down their music if he wasn't packing. This guy is a lunatic who was completely out of control (he should have stayed in his own lane). It's sad and tragic that his aggressive "billy bad ass" behavior resulted a young dying. This coward then drove away and didn't report any of this to the police. Now he's trying to justify his actions saying he was afraid. If you were indeed afraid then why didn't you drive away? Instead the teenagers drove away and this guy (who claims he was afraid) shot more bullets into the rear of their vehicle as they were trying to leave. I hope and pray the jury convicts him and justice prevails. Either way this sick loser has a reservation in hell and there's a hot spot down there waiting for him.
Solomon Tesi, Dunn should be drawn and quartered in the public square, but our rage regarding a few white devils will not stop the carnage in black communities which exponentially out weighs the evil of men like Dunn. Almost no one in the black community will even admit to this as a problem. Consequently, it is NOT being prevented. People of all races and the MSM ignore it. Roland S. Martin, was brave enough to speak to this crisis, but has been "taken out" of MSM. Even the President refuses to address this issue.
Too many young men in today's society, (white, hispanic, and black) can't pass 3rd grade, can't graduate high school, can't find a good job and stay out of jail.
In order to prevent this, we must first admit we have a problem.
If they don't prosecute Dunn for this act the blacks need to destroy the entire state of Florida! We cant keep letting them kill off our people!
How many unarmed Caucasian's have been murdered at the hands of an African american? How many blacks have been murdered at the hands of other blacks? Like piranhas, a little bit of blood turns into a feeding frenzy. Why not learn from this instead of letting it breed hatred? Directly because the uneducated masses of people know no better than to let it breed hatred. When a man takes another mans life we should feel sorrow, not hate. Yet the news media thrives on the hate message. The civil rights activist of the past both men and women worked hard, and gave there lives in some instances. Just to in return have the news media breed more hate than there was in at anytime in history. Our country is heading down a dark and unknown road. I pray for it everyday.
There will never be peace…smh
I wish God will take us all out…none of us deserve to breathe…the world has been tainted
I like how this article says "thug" is a racist word! Really?
Prevention starts with good Education. Good Education starts with Good Teachers. Having good Teachers starts with Equal Pay and Opportunities. Equal Pay and Opportunities start with Congress! Do not support your local Representative that objects to everything under the Sun just because the subject matter doesn't reflect their political party or personal agendas.
Prevention starts with good Education. Good Education starts with Good Teachers. Having good Teachers starts with Equal Pay and Opportunities. Equal Pay and Opportunities start with Congress! Do not support your local Representative that objects to everything under the Sun just because the subject matter doesn't reflect their political party or personal agendas.
speak for yourself hon,go to fla and u just may get your request,if this jerk be set free
peace starts within,people have to make peace,where's ur self esteem,its not about peace its about money and discrimination,hon,please don't get it twisted
yea,like zimmerman when he got set free he went after his wife and gf. again though $$$ talks cause when they called police on him,he still free
Ron O'Neil, why Terry T. Magyar. Your a bigger fool then those whom drop out of high school. Such educated people like your self showing so little. No people dont try and destroy Florida ,its not the state its those whom are mindless doing the crime. Well tough guy you font look so tough now with out your pistol,you must think your James Cagney in Angels with dirty faces.well fool hows your headace now
As long as the blacks in this country believe in protests, the evil men would continue to slaughter them. The justice system is one sided and all the juries are whites. Its high time for them to take action and do tic for tac. Only then mutual respect and piece would prevail
this didnt even make news nationwide…. its sad how america devalues the african american life even still in the united states…… i am disgusted and they want to know why violence is beginning to resemble that of the black panther era…. if we start slaughtering PIGS every other day will the news people report nationwide and the criminal court system prosecute to the fullest extent of the law….. #powertothePEOPLE
STOP the violence and kover ups