AIBU to think USA has gone crazy - Karmelo Anthony is a murderer not a victim

[Neutralnames]

From what I have read, Karmelo Anthony (who is black African American) took a concealed knife to a track event. When it started raining he ran to another team's tent to shelter. He was told to leave by a white athlete called Austin Metcalfe. KA refused saying ' 'Touch me and see what happens', According to one account I read he was repeatedly told to leave and replied the same way each time. Austin Metcalfe then pushed KA to get him to leave and KA pulled out the knife and stabbed AM in the chest, killing him.

Apparently sections of America are outraged that KA has now been convicted of murder. Possible sentence range in America is 5 to 99 years for this offence and he got 35 years.

I don't understand how this is not murder. In UK law if you can run away you must, and he didn't. In UK law if you kill someone when you could have run, you will be tried for murder.

KA took a knife. He could have left (even if he thought it was a dick move to ask him to leave when it was raining - you can't murder people for being dickish about their gazebo) but chose to not to, escalating the situation with threatening language and then stabbed a young man in the chest.

I just think something has gone terribly wrong in USA society where this man is treated as a victim, not the person who he killed, and this case is regarded as an injustice against him. I hope the UK does not go down this route.

I am glad to hear it.

If you want to talk about cultures then lets talk about the fact that black people in America still get lynched and killed for simply existing....

You cannot discuss and dismiss the self defence aspect without firstly aknowledging the long term historical rascist culture black people and especially black males have to put up with, doubly so in a state like Texas.

This situation did not happen in a vacuum and people shouldn't be putting their hands on someone, that was very much a white male privelge thing to do.

Given that the US feels qualified to comment on UK legal issues, what's sauce for the goose etc ?

I'm waiting to see what this has to do with parenting. I am sure someone can swing it back to that.

This situation did not happen in a vacuum and people shouldn't be putting their hands on someone, that was very much a white male privelge thing to do.

JFC 🙄

The response to a hand on a shoulder should never be a knife in the chest. White male privilege ffs

Why and how do you envisage that happening?

Only problem was it was only 35 years.

Scum, and so are his parents.

As an unusually small woman, I know all about the feeling of physical vulnerability. I still don't think I am justified in stabbing someone in the chest who pushes me. Its crazy to think I could be justified in doing that.

There was clearly no likelihood that the young white man at the team track was going to lynch this black man. He just wanted him out of their team gazebo. And KA was refusing and and challenging him to ' make me move and see what happens.'

Your line of thinking may well have been what KA was fed all his life which made him feel he was justified in stabbing someone for a really minor event. That thinking served no-one.

We are talking politics, not zumba?
ETA this is in response to the right! left! centre! anything goes

Umm, we have lots of American cultural imports over here. Have you not noticed that? American culture has a big influence.

Your thread is manifesting it for sure...

Yank here. This is exactly correct. It only took the jury three hours to convict him.

The culture of tax dodging certainly has ...

No need to be rude. I politely asked a question.

That isn't really an answer to my "why and how"question. There are plenty of elements of American culture that haven't been adopted in the UK. What exactly is it that you fear is going to happen in the UK?

From what I can glean it seems that those who share the murderer’s skin colour are outraged off the back of perceived racism and equality. The murderer claimed self defence as he thought a shove was equivalent to a knife in the heart. The all white jury failed to agree that being pushed was similar to a bladed weapon being plugged into a chest and people started shouting.

And populism.

tl;dr
Violent non-white people will Get Away with Bad Things. Be Very Afraid.

Killed someone with a knife= murderer.
2 families ripped apart.

It was not an all white jury! There were no black people on it which is not the same.

That we are going the way of increased racial division, and I think there are plenty of signs of that coming from both sides of the political spectrum. We should aim for a society where people are judged on their actions not their race.

Okay, anti-EDI anti-equity schtick

This. And Americans can carry weapons. It’s why the whole country is so bloody dangerous.

Not as dangerous as London, apparently. (©JD Vance)

I'm a Brit in America, and I feel horrified for the poor family of the dead boy. If you bring a knife it is premeditated in my opinion. Maybe there is more to it, I haven't followed the case. I do feel bad that a 17 year old is going to prison for 35 years. The whole situation is sad, but he did something wrong, and he should serve the time. The family of the deceased deserves that. There is misinformation here, I've seen instagrams saying that the full jury was white, which is absolutely not true. Certain people will use this to try to stir up racial tensions for their own benefit.

You do seem particularly keen to criticise the left though - both on this and other posts. I also seem to recall you being keen to chip in on a post criticising Muslim culture too.

I haven't seen you criticising right wing politics though. And now we have this post/your comments which are more than a tad goady in parts.

I rather suspect you're not as apolitical as you seem to think.

Because she keeps having to explain what it’s about and what it isn’t about. And she’s arrogant.