Here is an excerpt from an article titled "Chris Lane murder: Is a racist dimension of the crime being discounted?" published by The Christian Science Monitor:

“The racial double standard about who gets charged with a hate crime has been noticed by white people, and is not something that is going to advance race relations in America,” says Carol Swain, a Vanderbilt University law professor and author of “The New White Nationalism in America.”

The reality, she says, is that “governments continue to treat black-on-white crimes as plain old crimes, and whenever there’s the reverse order, white-on-minority, there’s a great effort to find the racial motivation.”

The trial of Mr. Zimmerman came to represent America’s fractured reckoning with race and racism, as the country divided neatly between those who believed that Zimmerman, who is white and Hispanic, was railroaded by a race-baiting political cabal and those who saw his not-guilty verdict in July as more proof that black victims still struggle for justice in America.

President Obama weighed in twice, once saying that Trayvon could have been his son, and then, in long off-the-cuff remarks after the verdict, how Trayvon could have been him 35 years ago. He also noted at that time that black history provides black Americans with a specific and painful lens through which to view the world.

Critics want the president to speak up to condemn racism aimed at whites, as well – and they see in the Lane case an opportunity to do so, given the racist sentiments allegedly espoused by a black suspect. “Who will POTUS identify w/ this time,” tweeted former US Rep. Allen West, a black conservative.

Some critics, including Ms. Swain at Vanderbilt, fault black civil rights leaders for goading emotions around race when it fits their political agenda, while ignoring or playing down racially motivated crimes by blacks against whites.

“There’s this false assumption that black people can’t be racist, that you have to have power to be racist,” says Swain. “But when you have a gun or you have them outnumbered, you have power.”

She adds: “I think that we do have to change the conversation in America about race, and one of things we have to focus on is bad behavior in the black community, behavior that’s unacceptable and the silence that surrounds it.”

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a confidante of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., wrote in a tweet Wednesday that he is "praying for the family of Chris Lane. This senseless violence is frowned upon and the justice system must prevail."

****

Comments?

Here is another excerpt from the same article:

Use of racial epithets, on the social media account of a black teenager accused in the Aug. 16 “thrill killing” of Chris Lane, a white college student from Australia, is not likely to prompt officials to treat the murder as a racial hate crime, according to early indications from local police.

The killing of Mr. Lane in Duncan, Okla., has drawn international attention, sparked an attempted tourist boycott, and reignited debates about easy access to guns in the US. It also comes about a month after the verdict in the racially charged Trayvon Martin murder case, which caused a stir in the black community when George Zimmerman was found not guilty.

Now, news of racist tweets allegedly by one of two black suspects in the Lane killing is causing some white Americans to murmur about how officials are classifying the crime. The offensive tweets are playing on white perceptions of a double standard when it comes to hate and violence – that the news media and prosecutors are quick to pursue evidence of white racism, but tend to ignore or discount evidence of black racism in crimes such as the Lane murder.

Black mob attacks on whites in recent years in Chicago, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and other cities have helped to sow suspicion among some whites that police are unwilling to file hate-crime charges against black defendants, even in the face of indications that racism is involved.

The tweets in question, found on the social media accounts of suspect James Edwards by the Daily Caller website, included several race-related references. One tweet read, “90 percent of white ppl are nasty. #HATE THEM.” Another, referencing the Zimmerman trial, stated: “Ayeee I knocced out 5 woods since Zimmerman court! :)” The Urban Dictionary defines “wood,” or pecker-wood, as a derogatory term for white people.

Comments?

zimmerman was a sole offender, he was not charged with a hate crime

and hardly charged AT ALL for five weeks after the minors death


these boys are a 'gang',,of various racial backgrounds, also not charged with a hate crime but charged in less than a WEEK of the incident

I see no double standard

when hate crime requirements are met, hate crimes are charged



when we have violence, it can be interracial or intraracial, but whichever it is,, people expect some justice for whomever the violence was aimed at,, especially with a death

keep ignoring it all you want, but the uproar caused in ZImmerman was that noone was being held to count for a death

in most crimes, we dont have that issue,, whatever the race,,,

I find the "hate crime" designation as nothing more than sensationalism.

A murder charge with aggravating circumstances or malice is sufficient.

Well put.
Couldn't agree more.

A murder is a murder. Hate Crime is a word invented by the Media to try and take sides.

I don't think modern media is that smart.

Gubament has 24/7 think tanks coming up with those kinds of ideas.

You mean to say he hasn't been charged yet.........

BTW, you don't have to account for the death when you defending yourself, but trust me Zimmerman is paying deeply. You have no idea the guilt you feel when someone dies in an incident you were involved in, even if it wasn't your fault.

and

Basically every Crime is a "Hate-Crime"!

The Robber robs you,because he hates that you might have more Possessions than he does.
The Murderer kills you,because he hates your looks etc,ad Infinitum!
Government is getting quite inventive when they are taking your Rights under the Constitution away!

so much 'guilt' that you wouldn't do a thing to change the outcome if you could and you tour the facility where the gun that caused the death was made


well,, I don't believe Zimmerman feels guilt, nor has he been given reason to,, he keeps being justified, and has no reason to ever feel wrong or guilty,,,,,

just my opinion

Mommy and daddy failed dead thug.

Every topic should be dedicated to his rotten corpse?

the 88 year old vet was murdered with flashlights..

should we hold a hearing to determine if you need a background check to buy a maglite?

no, but perhaps before you use your gun, you should have to show id,,,

lol

try to legally buy a handgun without ID..

haha..

I am surprised that background checks for weapons purchases aren't considered disenfranchising minorities from their right to bear arms since you have to show ID and not be a criminal..

yep, you REGISTER your gun with id,, once you have done that, there is no requirement to show ID to USE THE GUN


similarly, you REGISTER for voting with an id, and after that,, there should be no requirement to show ID to USE your voting right,,,,,

The purchasing of a legal weapon is the actual exercising my right to keep and bear arms.

Carrying or firing a weapon has strict limitations.


Every time you purchase a legal weapon you show id and are subjected to a background check.

It does not matter how many times you do it.

BS, MH.
Anytime a cop asks for your carry permit, ya best have it to present.
Perhaps, you might investigate before reacting.

Then, again, we all know about liberal logic.

when you register, yes

not after its registered