Murder of Jordan Davis: 
Another Modern-Day American Lynching
December 9, 2012 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
Jordan Davis
In an echo of the racist vigilante murder of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida, earlier this year, a white man shot dead an unarmed 17-year-old Black youth on November 23 in Jacksonville, Florida. Jordan Davis, a high school junior, was sitting in a car with three friends at a gas station when Michael Dunn approached, complaining of loud music. Dunn pulled out a gun and fired eight times, two of the bullets hitting Davis and killing him. Dunn fled the scene and was arrested the next day. According to news reports, Dunn claims that he saw a barrel of a shotgun poking out from the SUV the youth were in. Police found no firearms at the scene. But Dunn's lawyer claims he shot in "self-defense," indicating he may justify the shooting under Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law, which can mean that someone only needs their word that they thought their life was in danger to establish self-defense. Twenty-four other states have similar laws. Given the ugly history and continuing reality of white supremacy and oppression of Black people in the USA, these are nothing but legalized lynching laws. Even as the struggle for justice for Trayvon Martin continues, there is now this latest modern-day lynching. There is urgent need for powerful resistance against these outrages, as part of the movement for revolution to really and finally put an end to these and countless other crimes that spew forth from this system.
If you like this article, subscribe, donate to and sustain Revolution newspaper.