Older White Woman Shoots Black Teen in the Head for Walking on Property

In Macon, Georgia, 47 year-old Elisabeth Faye Cannon shot 15-year-old Vernon Marcus, Jr. in the head because she--you guessed it--feared for her safety.

She alleges that a group of teens had been throwing rocks and causing damages to her home and vehicle. She claims this had been going on for months. She states that she had called the police several times, but to no avail.

Her initial intention was to fire the gun to scare the teens away; however, she though they would eventually hurt her. As she shot the gun at the teens, one bullet eventually struck Marcus.

One of the teens tells a different story. He states that they were walking home from a convenient store when she fired shots from her gun. He also alleges that Cannon had harassed them previously by using racial slurs and accusing them of breaking into her home.

When asked about the conditions in some Macon neighborhoods in an interview by a local newspaper in 2013, Cannon had this to say:

"...The good Blacks won't get onto the bad Blacks. You try not to profile, but at the same time 99.9 percent of crime is gonna be, most often, a Black male...The good Blacks are too busy."

Ok, there is so much wrong with both this incident and her statement...

These boys DID NOT need to be shot at! Even if they may have been throwing stones at her property as she so alleges. Contrary to popular belief amongst racist Whites, vandalism, especially if it has not been proven, is not a reason to be killed. However, based on her statement in 2013, I think that she was profiling the young men because they are African American. She was scared of them and felt threatened when they were walking along the sidewalk on her property on their way home simply because they are Black.

So-called "good Blacks" have to be on top of "bad Blacks?" What about "good Whites" being on top of the Whites who shoot up schools? That is illogical. People are responsible for their own actions, and someone's race does not predict their actions. There are good and bad people in every race, culture, religion, etc. Thinking otherwise is condoning racial profiling. And it is completely baseless of her to state matter-of-factly that "99.9 percent" of crime is committed by Black males. This is the type of thinking that leads to racial profiling. With that being said, I think she is lying and were targeting these young boys because of the color of their skin.

What are your thoughts on this incident and her statement?

The 2016 Presidential Election

Ok...now that I am getting back into the swing of things, lets talk about the 2016 Presidential Election.

This was a very tumultuous election, to say the least. I have lost friends--good friends--due to their pick for President-Elect. A Facebook friend berated me on this, basically calling me childish and saying that is is stupid for me to let the fact that my candidate not winning effect important relationships. For him, it was simply just, "Oh, get over it. I did not like either candidate." I had to explain to him, in a more abrupt way, why this had to be done.

First, I am sure you know by now who I had voted for. Donald Trump just was not an option. Not only was his behavior inappropriate (and still is), but he is also inept to run a whole country: he had run his company to the ground several times, he knows nothing about politics or how the U.S. government works, and his child-like temperament is not well suited for this type of position. Not to mention his racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and blatant disrespect for those that oppose him. He also took forever to disavow the KKK and David Duke's endorsements.

To me, all of these things are unacceptable, and this is not how I want my President, who is representing my country, to act. He is an embarrassment. We are the laughing stock of the world right now.

As far as my former friends go: I was good friends with one woman while were in high school. We both worked at the same fast food restaurant. I even attended her wedding. 

I was having some financial hardships in the past year, and she was willing to help me out, even though she didn't have much. For this, I am appreciative and feel bad about; however, when I found out that she supported and voted for Trump, it was simply unforgivable to me. I let her know that she had the PRIVILEGE to vote for him because she was not non-black, Muslim, and immigrant, or gay. The rest of us are scared shitless for our lives. Just with his election alone, hate crimes have increased. People are getting bold with their racism and xenophobia because they know that he will protect them, not us.

She claims that she voted for him because she was a 'Christian,' and he opposed abortion. This is lame because, first off all, he does not act like a Christian. Second of all, if she were so pro-life, she would be worried about the remainder of us being persecuted by rowdy Trump supporters. I mean, look at his rallies: people getting hurt, manhandled, pushed around, and punched in the face just because they had different views.

So, this is why I no longer consider her a friend. She is clearly not concerned for my wellbeing, as I am a Black female. This hurt me to the core, but I had to unfriend her on Facebook and cut her off.

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

Getting Back into Gear...

Hello, all. After a 4-year hiatus, I have decided to start working on my project again. I will try to keep up with new posts about things race-related events happening in the world. Please, look for my book by the end of the year.

Sincerely,

Dr. Brown