(Todd A. Smith)
I do not profess to be an expert on all the facts of the Karmelo Anthony murder case.
Like many Americans, however, I could not escape the incident and the battle lines drawn because of the demographics involved.
But I do know a little bit about American history.
And I know the double standards in law enforcement surrounding this case and other recent cases, continue to prove that America is still a seriously racist country.
Furthermore, this generation of White racists will go down in infamy like their predecessors from the 1950s and 1960s who are remembered in perpetuity because their ignorance was caught on camera for all to see and remember.
And when cooler heads eventually prevail, I hope this new generation of social media racists, like the Jake Lang and the Chud the Builder types, will find a hiding place to spend the rest of their days, forever embarrassed by their evil hearts, like Carolyn Bryant Dunham, who falsely accused Emmett Till of whistling at her, which led to his murder, and Hazel Bryan Massery, who was caught screaming racial insults at Elizabeth Eckford of the Little Rock Nine in 1957.
Case Rogers and Jane Harper of the Houston Chronicle reported, “Karmelo Anthony committed murder when he fatally stabbed 17-year-old Austin Metcalf last year during a confrontation at a high school track meet, a jury decided Tuesday.
“Anthony, 19, kept his head down as the verdict was read, his eyes appearing to squint. Defense attorney Mike Howard had one arm around his shoulders, pulling him close.
“The guilty verdict came after nearly three hours of deliberation at the end of a closely watched trial in Collin County. The case has attracted national attention from the start and fueled months of racist vitriol on social media. Anthony is Black. Metcalf was White.”
Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
He will appeal the sentence.
The problem with the Anthony case is the fact that it seems that Black people cannot fear for their lives when confronted by an aggressive White instigator.
But a White person is reasonable to fend for their lives, even if the Black person is not the aggressor.
And apparently, size does not matter because stand your ground and self-defense laws worked for George Zimmerman after he approached and accosted a diminutive, teenage Black boy, Trayvon Martin.
Assistant District Attorney Bill Wirskye said, “You don’t get to meet a shove with a stab, especially if you provoked the shove.”
That type of statement is why many Black Americans have a problem with the system and the racist attitudes of many White Americans.
Why did Zimmerman get to meet a fight or altercation that he provoked with Martin with a gunshot?
The double standards are mind-blowing, regardless of innocence or guilt.
Why was the GiveSendGo donation account for Anthony suspended?
But the GiveSendGo for Chud the Builder, accused of attempted murder of a Black man, was allowed to continue accepting donations.
Both claimed self-defense.
Both were accused of provoking the incident that led to violence.
But both are not treated the same by the system, private companies or private citizens.
Why are White males with weapons not castigated by society like Black males with weapons are?
A White boy like Kyle Rittenhouse can bring a gun to protect himself and others during a police brutality protest.
But a young Black boy cannot bring a multi-tool to a high school track meet.
A White boy can shoot up a school, murdering innocent children and adults, and many will look at mental health as the main culprit.
But a young Black boy like Anthony is considered a thug by many, despite having no past criminal record and honor roll grades.
White racists will dismiss claims of self-defense by Anthony.
But many White racists believe that Chud the Builder, who instigates racist encounters and vows to murder a Black man and start a race war, is acting in justified self-defense.
It does not matter to many of them that Chud the Builder reached for his weapon and got into a bladed stance before the encounter turned physical.
Many of those same racists must not believe that self-defense applies to Black people because many of them believe that the fight between Chud the Builder and his victim justified Chud the Builder firing his weapon seven times in a crowded courthouse courtyard.
To racists, Black people cannot use a weapon to defend themselves like Anthony and cannot even use their fists to protect themselves when a White man has a gun.
But to make matters worse, those White racists like Lang have traveled from state to state, recording themselves yelling racial slurs and insults at Black people, many of whom were just going about their day and minding their own business.
At least the racists of the past had their bigotry and ignorance captured by others like the mainstream media.
This generation is creating evidence of its own prejudice.
But one thing is very similar.
Racists felt emboldened in the 1950s and 1960s.
And because of the racists in power, racists feel just as empowered in 2026.
But it is time for Black people to use incidents like the Anthony conviction to strengthen our resolve.
Over the last six years, after the murder of George Floyd, many younger Black people became complacent.
They must have believed that they were living in a post-racial America.
They must have thought that Project 2025 was a joke.
But now many can see that they will never get the benefit of the doubt that White people get.
And now, we must move accordingly and never get complacent again because America will always do things the White way and not the right way.
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