Speaker 1: (00:00)
Two cases are unfolding in this country right now were white males took up arms and killed unarmed people. They claimed in the name of public safety. And in both cases, they are also claiming self-defense right now. Jury deliberations are underway in the Kyle Rittenhouse case. Lawyers for Rittenhouse say he was acting in self-defense when he killed two people during a social justice protest last year and Wisconsin, the trial over a mod Alberese killing is in its second week. Our Berry was out for a jog in his Brunswick, Georgia neighborhood. When he was gunned down by three white men who thought he looked suspicious, they too are claiming self-defense. This is where I want to talk about the intersection of vigilantism and race. Joining me is Dr. [inaudible] professor of Africana studies at SDSU professor cable on welcome back to the program.
Speaker 2: (00:50)
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1: (00:52)
If you could put these two cases into historical context,
Speaker 2: (00:56)
The, the history between white vigilantes and law enforcement is long and painful. As early as colonial America, white colonists were deputized into slave patrolling and slave catching. They had the full weight of the law to apprehend enslaved people and form a militia in the event of slavery volts. So patrollers policed, all movement and unsupervised activity through passes, detainments interrogations, um, cert unrestrained search and seizures of slave quarters. And this was legally sanctioned. Uh, and they also had, uh, legally sanctioned on spot violent punishment for the slightest infringement of slave laws and customs. They were armed with guns, with whips, with bloodhounds, uh, and the, the patrollers. They addressed some of the concerns or white concerns that, uh, blacks were the foremost threat to their way of life. Uh, and again, they were authorized by by county court. So, uh, slave patrol scrutinized every aspect of black lives with the power to spontaneously meet out, you know, any corporal punishment that they deemed fit. Uh, they were, you know, so to speak the first responders to threats, uh, and actual slave insurgencies. Uh, so the slave patrols were, you know, the closest armed defenders of white supremacists in a social norms,
Speaker 1: (02:32)
Given that, do you feel like this is this current moment in time, is history repeating itself?
Speaker 2: (02:39)
You know, America is being America. The experiences of African-Americans have not significantly changed with regard to these issues of, uh, vigilantism uh, or, or policing, you know, so there is a long pattern and history, uh, of it that's on a, uh, continue.
Speaker 1: (03:00)
Uh, what role do you think the Trump administration played in emboldening? This type of activity?
Speaker 2: (03:06)
The Trump administration definitely emboldened, you know, many white Americans because of its rhetoric and close associations with white supremacist, Donald Trump's rhetoric, uh, was mean-spirited. It was racist and it was often violent. Uh, the insurrection that occurred on January six is a very, is very relevant to this discussion because it was a symptom of the toxicity of the Trump administration, but also reflective of the deep seated historical racial animus among a specific population that exists in this country. So while Donald Trump is not the boogeyman responsible for all racism in this country, certainly his administration in bold Bolden, a hateful and violent constituency in this country.
Speaker 1: (03:50)
How do you think this plays out as the movement for social justice continues?
Speaker 2: (03:54)
Well, it should remind us that the struggle to live in a truly egalitarian and just society continues. There is no room for any of us to be complacent Americans of good faith and good conscience must remain engaged and take every opportunity and every resource available to them, uh, to fight for change.
Speaker 1: (04:16)
And I want to talk a bit more about the trial happening for the men who killed a mod R Berry. Uh, this week, the defense filed a motion and told the court, we don't want any more black pastors in here and explain their presence could be intimidating to jurors, even went to make a strange analogy. Do people dress like Colonel Sanders wearing white masks in court? There's a lot to unpack there. What do you make of it?
Speaker 2: (04:40)
Well, I don't understand that analogy. Um, but you know, the, the irony, uh, the tragic irony is that these men hunted Ahmad Arbery down and killed him. You know, the sheer terror and intimidation that he must have felt as a result of these men following assaulting, and ultimately murdering him. Must've been unthinkable to most of us. And then for the same thugs, if you will, uh, to raise issue with, you know, pastors, men of the cloth, uh, but more importantly, they are black men is unconscionable, but it also fits into the narrative that black men represent a threat to the American way of life.
Speaker 1: (05:29)
What are some of the things that stand out to you most in terms of how these cases are being handled in court?
Speaker 2: (05:35)
What stands out the most for me is that generally speaking, white men have the luxury of claiming self-defense, uh, unfortunately, uh, black men and other people of color do not generally have that privilege. In fact, an entire movement was demonized for daring to embrace the notion of self-defense referring to me, uh, the black power movement, but also, you know, affirming that black lives matter is controversial, you know, is threatening. We're all familiar with the high profile George Zimmerman case, you know, and the stand your ground law in Florida, a law that didn't protect the black woman who shot a gun until the air to wore off and abuser Marissa Alexander. Uh, but in any event, another thing that stands out is just the adult suffocation of black boys. So while Kyle Rittenhouse is being betrayed, uh, as a kid he's often referred to as a kid, you know, 12 year old Tamir rice was gunned down within three seconds of the arrival of law enforcement, uh, who claimed that he looked like an adult or Trayvon Martin who believed who was believed to have been an adult. That's what George Zimmerman alleged, uh, but the narratives, uh, are just very different, but more important than the narrative. The reality, the outcome, uh, oftentimes, uh, are, are very different when a white men and boys are involved,
Speaker 1: (07:06)
What does justice look like to you in these cases? And where does the country go? Once they've committed
Speaker 2: (07:12)
Evictions would be a great start, but without a change in policy and the way that we police people of color, unless that changes, it will be just rinse and repeat. And after the year that 2020 was a lot of African-Americans were hopeful that this country was on a genuine, sincere path to change. But with these two particular chases, it was a reality check or a lot of African-Americans. And unfortunately many are not as hopeful as, as they were.
Speaker 1: (07:53)
I've been speaking with Dr. [inaudible] cable on professor of Africana studies at SDSU professor Al cable. I'm thank you so much for joining us.
Speaker 2: (08:01)
You're welcome. And thank you for the invitation.
