It might seem like a crime to you, but a grand jury decided that it wasn't.
This is a reference to Jared Lafer's case. In his 20s, he is a white male who was driving through Johnson City, Tennessee in September last year when he spotted a few Black Lives Matter protesters at a crosswalk. Witnesses claim that Lafer's SUV hit Johnathon Bowers. Bowers then stood directly in front of Lafers vehicle and smacked it with his hood to draw Lafers' attention. Lafer, allegedly, accelerated and plowed through the group, leaving Bowers with two broken legs, all of which was captured on cellphone video.
Lafer chose to continue on his journey, instead of stopping at Bakersville, North Carolina. He hired a lawyer, and surrendered to the police two days later. The extent of his contrition may be measured by the social-media activity that he did afterward. The Tennessee Holler, a progressive news site that self-describes itself as progressive, took a screenshot from a post, and captioned it: A meme of a relieved-looking person with the caption: When your mistakenly thought you had hit a dog, but it was a looter.
To which someone named Jared Lafer responds, This is GREAT! with a laughing-till-you-cry emoji. According to reports, Lafer also called Black Lives Matter a Marxist organization.
The grand jury decided not to indict him. They determined that the video and eyewitnesses were sufficient evidence, but they did not indict him. Defense attorney Mac Meade stated that this is not a case of racism. It is not. It's never been. According to WLOS-TVin Asheville the attorney explained that Lafer did not do anything illegal to escape a dangerous situation for his family.
Just to be clear: He was the one with the two-ton motor vehicle, while protesters had signs and were peacefully crossing the street. He is the victim. He was the one who was so afraid he could use potentially lethal force.
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This is a sign of the times, and it's neon.
This is in addition to a number of laws passed recently or being considered by Republican fiefdoms. These laws are meant to protect motorists from drivers who drive over or through protestors. What happened here, more generally speaking, is indicative of the country's current state of affairs. It has abandoned the struggle to deal with its history of racial oppression as well as the efforts to repair it that began in civil-rights years. From that lofty height of aspiration, idealism, we have fallen to this swampy ground of delusion, lies, and where many white people believe that they are the real victims of racial injustice.
This process has been going on for decades but it was accelerated by the previous president, who coddled white superiority and gave it a platform as well as a veneer of respectability that it hadn't enjoyed since the 1950s. These theories are now promoted on cable news and adopted by Republican legislators. These last years' motto might have been "Make Bigotry Great Again," because that is what the GOP did.
This is the price we have to pay. A white man who has a history of antipathy towards Black Lives Matter protesters speeds through them in a crosswalk and injures another man before fleeing the scene. It would seem like a crime. This is America in 2021.
You would be wrong.
