Contrasts in Justice: Joe Horn & John White

Stop. Don't read the post yet. Just check the visuals. Sorta telegraphs the outcome and damn if I'm not just plain weary of that.

A Pasadena, TX grand jury has declined to indict Joe Horn on any criminal charges stemming from a Nov. 14, 2007 incident when he shot and killed two black hispanic men who were robbing his neighbors home. Horn observed the robbery taking place from inside his home and called the police. Despite repeated instructions from the police dispatcher to remain in his home, Horn insisted on going outside and confronting the thieves. When he attempted to stop them, they tried to run and Horn shot each one in the back with his shotgun, killing them both.

This stands in stark contrast to the fate of 53-year-old John White, convicted of manslaughter and now serving time for the August 9, 2006 killing of 17-year-old Daniel Cicciaro during a confrontation in the front yard of White's home. Cicciaro and his friends had come to intimidate and potentially assault Aaron White, John's son. They called his home and told him they were coming for that purpose. John and his son armed themselves and waited, rather than calling the police. When the guys arrived, they confronted them and in the ensuing confrontation, John White shot Cicciaro in the face, killing him.

The white man in Texas who confronted burglars robbing his neighbor's house completely unnecessarily killing two men with shotgun blasts to the back will not face a single charge or consequence, and in fact is lauded as a hero on many fronts, though in fairness the City of Pasedena appears to at least have some awareness that this result is not quite right.

The black man who confronted a group of teens in his own front yard, teens who called his home at least 30 minutes in advance to say they were coming to physically harm his son and who rather than call the police, armed himself and waited for them to arrive to confront them, and shot a foolish, perhaps malovelent teenager? He's in jail, serving a maximum term of 5 to 15 years in prison.

In both of these cases, the shootings were not justified in my opinion. Both men had ample opportunity to avoid harm and allow the authorities to address the situation. In both cases, each man chose confrontation and reckless, unnecessary self help tactics to address the situation with tragic results. Both should have faced a consequence. The results of the justice system handling of these two cases has been depressingly predictable in its disparity of result.

Do you agree with me? Aren't both of these guys wrong? Or were they both justified? Or have the courts sorted it out correctly?

Dying for a Damn Television

Man Kills Suspects While On Phone With 911, Two Men Shot In Texas By Joe Horn Who Saw Suspects Leaving Neighbor's House - CBS News

I am righteously sick and tired of having to muster up outrage for injustices visited upon people of color when they are in the middle of doing wrong. Just fully sick and tired of it. The Jena Six earlier this year and now the Pasadena Two. Outrage is boiling over into ugly protests over the shooting of two black hispanic men who were shot and killed by a neighbor while burglarizing a home next door to him, in full view of a plains clothes police officer who was responding to the neighbors 911 call.

Its very apparent that the shootings were unjustified. The neighbor was inside his own house and observed the thieves enter the neighbors home. He calls 911, but despite repeated orders from the 911 operator to remain in his home and not to confront the thieves, he tells the operator he is going to shoot, then goes outside and does just that when the thieves naturally try to flee. He shot both of the thieves in the back as they fled. So over a damn tv or some such crap they were taking out of the house, he has shot these two brothers dead. Whatever they had was not worth their lives.

Now, racial animus and resentment is breaking out as the opposing sides clash over the legality of his actions, some calling Horn a murderer, others a hero. Texas law says you can use deadly force to protect yourself and your property. Operative word is YOUR life, YOUR property. Joe Horn deliberately put himself in harms way by going outside and confronting the thieves despite clear orders from the dispatcher not to do so and on the basis of the 911 tape you can very reasonably conclude that he intended to shoot the thieves when he walked out the door.

Protecting your neighbors property with deadly force isn't justified under these circumstances. He's committed murder and he should have to suffer a consequence.

So now we are treated to the spectacle of Qannel X of the New Black Panther Party marching into a crowd of white folks to protest in front of the guy's house. Where is the NBPP when brothers are gunning each other down in the street? I don't see them marching on that, and those killings are just as unjustified as this was. Because while Joe Horn did not have a justifiable reason to shoot and kill those two thieves, its also true that those brothers would be alive if they hadn't chosen to rob someones home. By doing so, they put themselves in harms way and exposed themselves to risk of getting shot dead by an overly excited and armed neighbor. They are 60% responsible for their fate. They didn't deserve a death sentence, but I'm so very disinterested in another bout of outrage without one bit of moral critique.