But What Really Happened?

Murder Charge in a Shooting on Doorstep

This is all over the news, it seems. There are some things about this case which anger me and some which just confuse me but, overall, I just don't know enough of the facts of the case. That just adds to my frustration. I like things neat and tidy, I like to know much more than most (maybe any) news sites provide in their reporting.  And, in this case, that causes ambivalent feelings.

Let me recap with known facts (as reported):

Just before 1 AM, a young woman (age 19) hit a parked car on a suburban street near Detroit, Michigan. Witnesses say they tried to help her but that she was disoriented and wandered off into the dark. This would suggest that she was uncooperative though they do not seem to have used that word. Shortly before 4 AM, she is shot dead on the porch of a house 6 blocks away. The homeowner is the one one charged in the headline.

Very little of the story I linked to answer questions I have. Where was she between 1 AM and 4 AM? Why didn't these witnesses try to follow her  or inform the authorities where she headed? They may have but we do not know. Why did the police  think there were no injuries in the accident and, therefore, make it a low priority? They did not respond  immediately.  Why did the homeowner open his front door (leaving only a locked screen door between them)? Why did the homeowner not immediately call 911 when she allegedly began knocking on his door?  He did, however, call 911 after shooting her.

Much is being made over the fact that the woman is African-American and the homeowner (shooter) is Caucasian. In fact, this remark is in the story:

“I think people don’t understand that this stuff is happening all the time,” said the Rev. Charles Williams II, the Detroit leader of the National Action Network. “We’re happy we got a charge in this case — that’s progress — but this whole situation tells us that there is still work to do when it comes to race in America.”

It is not "happening all the time." In fact, it is quite rare. But when it happens, it gets a lot of coverage. If a member of your family is the victim, even once is too often, of course, but the Reverend is not a family member so his exaggeration seems out of place.

Eric Holder (and many others) has said we need a dialogue about race in the United States. I agree. I think that this dialogue should not be one-sided, it should not be full of exaggeration and hyperbole, it should not be emotionally charged. It should be an honest one and one conducted calmly. That is extremely hard to do when it comes to race.