Joanna Sanchez

Soc 122 

Democracy Now 3^rd Entry

 

This article covers a recent shooting that occurred in the state of Florida. Michael Dunn sot and killed a 17 year old African American boy named Jordan Davis at a dispute in a gas station.  Jordan Davis was in a vehicle with his friends playing loud music when Dunn began a dispute with the young people asking them to turn it down.  Certain words were exchanged amongst both parties and Dunn went to the extreme of shooting at the vehicle and killing an innocent person.  Dunn claims that Davis and his friends who were all black had weapons in their vehicle which police reports prove to be false. Dunn’s attorney is stating that the shooting is justified due to the fact that Dunn felt threatened but there are a lot of things behind the scenes that people do not know. A former neighbor of Dunn spoke about Dunn’s previous behavior which he described as violent and aggressive; he even stated that Dunn had a substance abuse issue as well.  As of right now, Dunn is looking at 60 years of prison to life for shooting at the unarmed black teenagers and for three attempted murder counts.  But the jury deadlocked on the main count which was the murder of Jordan Davis. The judge declared a mistrial on the count of murder. Why isn't he being charged for murder when it is obvious he committed the crime? It is completely unfair that he is getting away with the killing Jordan Davis. I think race has a lot to do with this issue. The fact that Michael Dunn is white and Jordan Davis is black causes a huge controversy as well. I think justice should be served regardless of the color of your skin. The jury on the trial was stated to be 2/3 white and did not include any black males. The fact that the majority of the jury is white shows that there’s obviously going to be some sort of bias formed against Jordan Davis although they may deny it the fact that Dunn isn’t being charged with the murder of Jordan Davis is just ridiculous and unfair.

http://www.democracynow.org/2014/2/17/the_killing_of_jordan_davis_michael

In recent news the people have been trying to fight for the right to vote for ex felons. In 13 states anyone charged with a felony loses their right to vote and the majority of those felons are African American or Latino. An estimated amount of 5.8 million people don’t have the right to vote due to the fact that they lost it. This article talks about Desmond Meade from Florida who was at one point; unemployed, homeless, and a drug addict when he suddenly changed his life for the better.  He is only months away from receiving his law degree but due to the fact that he is an ex felon he is unable to join the bar and is unable to vote in Florida as well. For people like Desmond it is fair to give them their right to vote back regardless if they are an ex felon or not. People who prove themselves worthy and can prove to society that they are no longer interested in their old criminal and deviant ways deserve a second chance and that chance should be given to them.

http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2014/2/13/people_of_color_are_losing_their