Florida Youth Slain For Playing Loud Music: Black Teens Remain Target Of Racist Who Abhor Urban Youth Culture

Posted by David Adams on November 28th, 2012

Jordan Russell Davis was riding in the back seat of an SUV with his friends with the music blaring while engaging in nothing else other than what teen kids do. When the SUV pulled into a convenience store parking lot a Volkswagon Jetta pulled along side them. Apparently aggravated by the loud music coming from the teens vehicle, David Dunn who was driving with his girl friend that day, made a complaint about the loud music, and requested that the youth turn the volume down. Authorities say a verbal dispute between Davis and Dunn ensued resulting in Dunn firing 8-9 shots inside the vehicle driven by the youth, and killing 17-year-old Davis. None of the other 3 youth inside the SUV were harmed. Dunn allegedly fled the scene along with his girlfriend. CNN reports that Dunn didn’t realize the Davis teen had died until he viewed a news clip about the shooting the following morning. Dunn then reportedly returned to his hometown of Satellite Beach, Florida. Dunn was reportedly in Jacksonville for his son’s wedding. Now media has been reporting that Dunn will use the “stand your ground” defense in the Jacksonville youth slaying. This is the same law and defense that George Zimmerman is attempting to use after killing Trayvon Martin earlier this year. Dunn’s attorney alleges that the youth shouted explicits, overheard someone state, “kill that motherf***er”, and saw the barrel of a shotgun emerge from a rear window of the SUV the teens were in. His attorney also told CNN that when all of the facts in this case are known that it will show that Dunn acted responsibly as a legal gun owner, and conducted himself in a fashion that any reasonable person would have in this incident. Those comments are simply incredible when considering some of the basic facts already released to the public. Dunn can’t possibly claim “self-defense”, because there isn’t any evidence that he was actually even threatened by any of the youth in that vehicle. Police reports indicate that no weapon was even found inside the SUV the teens were driving. Dunn’s attorney fired back, citing that the youth could have simply discarded the weapon prior to the police arriving on the scene. Although that assertion could be true, it’s simply unbelievable because no witness allege that they even saw any of the youth with a weapon at the scene. If the youth were in fact a gang of bad asses who wanted to kill Dunn as he alleges, it’s incomprehensible that the teens didn’t fire back with the shotgun that Dunn alleges the youth had inside that SUV. Dunn’s attorney also alleges that he fled the scene once his girlfriend returned to his vehicle. This would mean he waited for her and must completely dispel any notion what so ever that he was actually in fear for his safety. A reasonable person who had an authentic fear for their personal safety would have at the very least moved from close proximity of this incident out of fear that the youth would have retaliated by firing back. This is basic common sense. Dunn waited for his girlfriend to come back to his car instead. In fact when we compare the Davis youth killing to that of the late Trayvon Martin, the shooter (George Zimmerman) actually remained at the scene until police arrived. Any person with an ounce of intelligence knows that any possibility of creating mitigation for shooting someone, that they have to remain at the scene for no other provocation but to tell cops their side of the story, at the very least. Dunn not only flees the shooting, but he doesn’t call the cops, and even after viewing news reports about the shooting that resulted in the Davis youth death, Dunn still didn’t notify authorities to identify himself as the shooter, and simply returned to his hometown instead. The fact that Dunn’s attorney would even attempt to raise such a defense is insulting to the people of the Jacksonville, Florida community, and demonstrates how the “Stand your ground Law” is making a complete mockery of the State of Florida’s criminal justice system, and allowing people to get away with murder. Moreover, the Davis killing and the Trayvon Martin killing do have similarities. In both of these incidents the shooters were they persons who initiated contact with the shooting victims. Zimmerman singled out Trayvon Martin simply because he had never saw the youth in his community before, while negating the fact that the youth had a legal right to walk along a public street. Dunn became agitated because he didn’t like the loud music coming from the Davis youth vehicle. The teens admit the music was loud, but even if the town had a noise ordinance, Dunn could have called the cops and filed a complaint, and allowed the authorities to handle the situation. I don’t know how effect that approach would have been, because by the time cops arrived for his complaint the youth more than likely would have already left. So, it’s interesting that the incident escalated to the level of a homicide. Dunn should have simply used better judgement by ignoring the teen. I could see if these were people near or around his home which certainly would draw complaints from multiple people regarding loud noise. However, Dunn could simply have moved his vehicle away from the youth and their loud music. He chose to engage a child in a verbal dispute instead of conducting himself as an adult. It’s clear that the verbal exchange got the best of him and he decided that the Davis teen deserved to lose his life and that’s why he shot the kid. Dunn’s claim that the youth wanted to kill him and produced a weapon is simply not credible. The police found no evidence during their investigation and working of the crime scene to substantiate his claim of self-defense. Dunn fled the scene because he realized his “hot-head” caused him to overreact and had gotten him in a world of trouble. If no one had obtained his vehicle registration information, it’s highly doubtful that Dunn would have ever even made a claim of self-defense in this incident. Moreover, it’s completely disturbing that there are people who exist in our society who believe that their rights surpass those of others. Dunn had no legal authority what so ever, and his complaint about loud music coming from a vehicle full of youth, though ill-advised, was nothing more than a courtesy request. Once he obtained negative feedback from the youth, he should have simply let it go, and moved on. I mean how long had he intended to be at the convenience store? From a more objective prospective, we must realize that Dunn was well aware of the fact that he was in fact armed, and as a gun collector he should have been well versed on all of Florida’s statues related to responsibility while carrying a concealed weapon. Hell, even the cops are trained to make certain there is a valid reason to even draw their weapon. I don’t believe that Dunn saw a weapon of any kind, but rather race played a tremendous roll in his decision to fire his weapon inside the vehicle the youth were in. The “stand your ground” defense has absolutely no merit in this case. It’s simply a case of another black youth falling to gun violence at the hands of a racist person who believes his rights holds more value over people of ethnic groups they deem inferior, and are confident that stigmas associated with these same cultures will protect them in a court of law. Overall, the black community must now take serious precautions and realize that the lives of black youth are being targeted now more than ever. Justice must prevail for Jordan Davis and is family in this horrific case.

The People’s Champion

I’m David Adams

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David Adams

A Self proclaimed geek, Sympathizer for the homeless, Social Change Advocate, Crime Blogger, Promoter of Awareness for Missing and Exploited Children, and a mobile technology enthusiast. A recognized Journalist and Human Interest Writer championing the plight of the masses whom are without a voice of their own.

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Jordan Russell Davis was riding in the back seat of an SUV with his friends with the music blaring while engaging in nothing else other than what teen kids do. When the SUV pulled into a convenience store parking lot a Volkswagon Jetta pulled along side them. Apparently aggravated by the loud music coming from the teens vehicle, David Dunn who was driving with his girl friend that day, made a complaint about the loud music, and requested that the youth turn the volume down. Authorities say a verbal dispute between Davis and Dunn ensued resulting in Dunn firing 8-9 shots inside the vehicle driven by the youth, and killing 17-year-old Davis. None of the other 3 youth inside the SUV were harmed. Dunn allegedly fled the scene along with his girlfriend. CNN reports that Dunn didn’t realize the Davis teen had died until he viewed a news clip about the shooting the following morning. Dunn then reportedly returned to his hometown of Satellite Beach, Florida. Dunn was reportedly in Jacksonville for his son’s wedding. Now media has been reporting that Dunn will use the “stand your ground” defense in the Jacksonville youth slaying. This is the same law and defense that George Zimmerman is attempting to use after killing Trayvon Martin earlier this year. Dunn’s attorney alleges that the youth shouted explicits, overheard someone state, “kill that motherf***er”, and saw the barrel of a shotgun emerge from a rear window of the SUV the teens were in. His attorney also told CNN that when all of the facts in this case are known that it will show that Dunn acted responsibly as a legal gun owner, and conducted himself in a fashion that any reasonable person would have in this incident. Those comments are simply incredible when considering some of the basic facts already released to the public. Dunn can’t possibly claim “self-defense”, because there isn’t any evidence that he was actually even threatened by any of the youth in that vehicle. Police reports indicate that no weapon was even found inside the SUV the teens were driving. Dunn’s attorney fired back, citing that the youth could have simply discarded the weapon prior to the police arriving on the scene. Although that assertion could be true, it’s simply unbelievable because no witness allege that they even saw any of the youth with a weapon at the scene. If the youth were in fact a gang of bad asses who wanted to kill Dunn as he alleges, it’s incomprehensible that the teens didn’t fire back with the shotgun that Dunn alleges the youth had inside that SUV. Dunn’s attorney also alleges that he fled the scene once his girlfriend returned to his vehicle. This would mean he waited for her and must completely dispel any notion what so ever that he was actually in fear for his safety. A reasonable person who had an authentic fear for their personal safety would have at the very least moved from close proximity of this incident out of fear that the youth would have retaliated by firing back. This is basic common sense. Dunn waited for his girlfriend to come back to his car instead. In fact when we compare the Davis youth killing to that of the late Trayvon Martin, the shooter (George Zimmerman) actually remained at the scene until police arrived. Any person with an ounce of intelligence knows that any possibility of creating mitigation for shooting someone, that they have to remain at the scene for no other provocation but to tell cops their side of the story, at the very least. Dunn not only flees the shooting, but he doesn’t call the cops, and even after viewing news reports about the shooting that resulted in the Davis youth death, Dunn still didn’t notify authorities to identify himself as the shooter, and simply returned to his hometown instead. The fact that Dunn’s attorney would even attempt to raise such a defense is insulting to the people of the Jacksonville, Florida community, and demonstrates how the “Stand your ground Law” is making a complete mockery of the State of Florida’s criminal justice system, and allowing people to get away with murder. Moreover, the Davis killing and the Trayvon Martin killing do have similarities. In both of these incidents the shooters were they persons who initiated contact with the shooting victims. Zimmerman singled out Trayvon Martin simply because he had never saw the youth in his community before, while negating the fact that the youth had a legal right to walk along a public street. Dunn became agitated because he didn’t like the loud music coming from the Davis youth vehicle. The teens admit the music was loud, but even if the town had a noise ordinance, Dunn could have called the cops and filed a complaint, and allowed the authorities to handle the situation. I don’t know how effect that approach would have been, because by the time cops arrived for his complaint the youth more than likely would have already left. So, it’s interesting that the incident escalated to the level of a homicide. Dunn should have simply used better judgement by ignoring the teen. I could see if these were people near or around his home which certainly would draw complaints from multiple people regarding loud noise. However, Dunn could simply have moved his vehicle away from the youth and their loud music. He chose to engage a child in a verbal dispute instead of conducting himself as an adult. It’s clear that the verbal exchange got the best of him and he decided that the Davis teen deserved to lose his life and that’s why he shot the kid. Dunn’s claim that the youth wanted to kill him and produced a weapon is simply not credible. The police found no evidence during their investigation and working of the crime scene to substantiate his claim of self-defense. Dunn fled the scene because he realized his “hot-head” caused him to overreact and had gotten him in a world of trouble. If no one had obtained his vehicle registration information, it’s highly doubtful that Dunn would have ever even made a claim of self-defense in this incident. Moreover, it’s completely disturbing that there are people who exist in our society who believe that their rights surpass those of others. Dunn had no legal authority what so ever, and his complaint about loud music coming from a vehicle full of youth, though ill-advised, was nothing more than a courtesy request. Once he obtained negative feedback from the youth, he should have simply let it go, and moved on. I mean how long had he intended to be at the convenience store? From a more objective prospective, we must realize that Dunn was well aware of the fact that he was in fact armed, and as a gun collector he should have been well versed on all of Florida’s statues related to responsibility while carrying a concealed weapon. Hell, even the cops are trained to make certain there is a valid reason to even draw their weapon. I don’t believe that Dunn saw a weapon of any kind, but rather race played a tremendous roll in his decision to fire his weapon inside the vehicle the youth were in. The “stand your ground” defense has absolutely no merit in this case. It’s simply a case of another black youth falling to gun violence at the hands of a racist person who believes his rights holds more value over people of ethnic groups they deem inferior, and are confident that stigmas associated with these same cultures will protect them in a court of law. Overall, the black community must now take serious precautions and realize that the lives of black youth are being targeted now more than ever. Justice must prevail for Jordan Davis and is family in this horrific case.