Filed under: News, Politics, Race and Civil Rights
The Associated Press is reporting that all of the victims were out alone at night. The attacker approached by asking for directions or help with a broken down vehicle. "He then pulls a knife and attacks them without saying anything more," Johnson said.
The presence of a serial killer targeting African Americans may only inspire additional racial tensions after Omar Thornton murdered several white colleagues in the workplace. In fact, I would argue that this kind of thing happens more often than we think, but those cases may not be highlighted by the media.
What we also have to remember is that the idea of a white man killing several black people may not imply that racial hatred is the driving force behind his decision to kill. Flint is a city that is predominantly black, and what we've defined to be a serial killer with a broader social agenda may simply be a hired hitman for a local drug dealer. He may also, unfortunately, be a man who lives in a black neighborhood who's simply decided to murder other people. This does not, of course, belittle the tragedy experienced by those in Flint and the families of the victims, since killing is wrong no matter who is targeted by the violence.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.