Race Should Not Be Ignored As A Factor In Renisha McBride’s Murder

The shooting death of Renisha McBride on a porch in Dearborn Heights, Michigan raises questions surrounding race, guns, and the law in America. While details of the incident remain incomplete, an autopsy report indicates that McBride took a lethal shotgun blast to the face and that the fatal shot was not fired from close range.

The 54-year old, white homeowner shot and killed Renisha McBride last Saturday. Although she was not shot at close range, he argues both that he thought she was breaking into his home and that he shot her by accident. So based on his story, he must have accidentally aimed outside his house at a woman a fair distance away on his porch, inadvertently pulled the trigger and shot her dead. He also said he heard knocking at the door so he must have thought that the person intending to sneak into his home had extended the courtesy to knock first.

On the morning of the incident, the shooter answered questions to the police but they declined to file any charges against the man. The County Prosecutor is still investigating the case. The police insist that race did not play a role in the shooter’s decision to shoot McBride and the man’s attorney wants everyone to know that he feels bad about killing the woman.

However, attempts to downplay the racial significance of the incident are being met with skepticism in the black community. Police are dismissive of the idea that race played a part in the killing, but while it is probably true that the shooter does not view his decision to pull the trigger as racially motivated, it is still fair to ask questions about the shooting.

For example, if instead the girl had been a blonde, white, 5’4″ University of Michigan student from Ann Arbor who crashed her car and some 53 year old black man shot her dead with a shotgun blast to her face while she was standing on his porch, does anyone really think the police would still be waiting to make an arrest?

Michigan is a “Stand Your Ground” state, but if a person’s decision to shoot someone is based solely on fear and not any real threat of facing bodily harm, is “Stand Your Ground” becoming a de-facto license to kill people of color? Do the police view Renisha McBride as a credible threat to the man in part because of her race?

Fear, ignorance, and bad judgment should not be legal justifications for committing homicide. A legal system that permits the shooting of black people followed by the excuse “oops my bad, I was scared and standing my ground against a perceived threat” is no longer acceptable. If a gun owner acts responsibly they should be left alone. However, if they act with malice or carelessness, they must be held accountable for lethal life-ending decisions.

Renisha McBride’s death comes less than two months after an African-American college football player, Jonathan Ferrell, was gunned down by an overzealous police officer after Ferrell sought help following a car accident. “Seeking help while black” seems to carry the death penalty. Shooting black individuals out of fear is excused too easily with “Stand Your Ground” style justifications.

The evidence that the taking of black lives is not taken seriously is not just anecdotal. The Tampa Bay Times conducted an extensive review researching “stand your ground” cases in Florida and found that when a white or Hispanic person invokes the “Stand Your Ground” defense after killing a black person, the killing is deemed justified around ninety percent of the time. When a non-white person kills a white person and tries to argue “Stand Your Ground” as a defense, the killer is convicted and sentenced to prison 43 percent of time. In other words, a non-white person who kills a white person and tries to claim “Stand Your Ground” is more than four times as likely to be sent to prison than a white or Hispanic person who claims “Stand Your Ground” after shooting an African-American.

Although we still do not have all the details to piece together exactly what happened the night Renisha McBride was killed, we do know that America has a history of excusing the extra-judicial execution of black men and women. Those who wish to dismiss the racial implications of the McBride shooting are in denial of that history. Most black people are not in denial, because they have lived that history.

Edited by SS

 

Keith Brekhus is a progressive sociologist who resides in Red Lodge, Montana. He is co-host for the Liberal Fix radio show. Keith is a former Green Party candidate for US Congress (2002 in Missouri's 9th District). He can be followed on Twitter @keithbrekhus.