Blond Hair and Blue Eyes "She Had to Die"

[preciousjeni]

I don't know why, but I couldn't find another article about this...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Philip Grant, who is accused of killing a woman at a Westchester mall, told police on videotape that he is fighting "a race war against white people" and that he stabbed Connie Russo Carriero last week because she was white. Grant, who is black, said on the tape played in court: "All I knew was, she had blond hair and blue eyes and she had to die."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...070501305.html

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I saw this on the news and I believe Grant had been convicted of some sort of sexual crime and had been released into the community after serving some time.

Anyway, I understand his desperation and where he's coming from...he commented that he did this to make a statement and he wanted the death penalty. But, it would seem more reasonable to take down someone who was more directly involved in what he was acting out against - though he did say that no white person is innocent.

They say he allowed a Latina woman and an elderly white woman pass by before he chose Carriero who was an upper class woman in her 50s. He was looking for someone who was living a typical white lifestyle.

Like I said, I understand where he's coming from but murder is not the answer. The LAST thing they need to do is fulfill his desire for the death penalty after which he would be a martyr for people who think like he does.

[Rudey]

Is this PHAShriner?

-Rudey

[Honeykiss1974]

You understand where he is coming from? How so (in turns of being frustrated with whites, being oppressed, mad enough to murder someone, etc.) ?

Just trying to get a handle on your sympathy for a murderer(and a senseless murder at that) who wanted to kill people like yourself.

[KSig RC]

Originally posted by preciousjeni

They say he allowed a Latina woman and an elderly white woman pass by before he chose Carriero who was an upper class woman in her 50s. He was looking for someone who was living a typical white lifestyle.

How quaint.

[Jill1228]

What a sick b*stard!

I'm sorry...I gotta vote for frying his ass! I got no sympathy for him or his so called "excuse"

[honeychile]

My godson has blond hair and blue eyes, as does his brother & sister. They all live in CA. The school that they go to is heavily black and/or Latino - so much so, that they are literally the only kids with blond hair and blue eyes.

Unfortunately, instead of this being the wonderful learning experience that it should have been, the boys were coming home every day with black eyes & other bruises, while the girl was emotionally withdrawn. The school district suggested that they change schools, and refused to call the parents of the main instigators in for a conference!

I feel very badly about this. These three kids were supposed to be immersed in tolerance, but the school made it a bad experience. They're being homeschooled now, and are going to a racially diverse church. Their mother is so afraid of them not being tolerant (their father is terminally ill).

And I don't know why I felt the need to share this, other than the article just reminded me of their situation...

[damasa]

Originally posted by preciousjeni


Like I said, I understand where he's coming from but murder is not the answer. The LAST thing they need to do is fulfill his desire for the death penalty after which he would be a martyr for people who think like he does.

How in the world does someone understand where someone like this is coming from? Someone with enough rage to just randomly kill another person simply because of skin tone, hair color or eye color?

I don't understand how anyone could do that, regardless of race and I sure in the heck don't understand where they are coming from. There is no justification at all.

[jubilance1922]

Originally posted by damasa
How in the world does someone understand where someone like this is coming from? Someone with enough rage to just randomly kill another person simply because of skin tone, hair color or eye color?

I don't understand how anyone could do that, regardless of race and I sure in the heck don't understand where they are coming from. There is no justification at all.

Well, I'll give my perspective. Imagine you live in an area where no one looks like you. You are stared at, ridiculed for your features, told you are ugly, worthless, less than a human being. You go to restaurants and stores and are either treated like a thief or ignored. People cross to the other side of the street when they see you. You are called names, harrassed, spit on, maybe even beaten.

Many of these things have happened to me, and lots of other minorities in this country. I am NOT excusing his behavior, because killing someone is WRONG no matter what the excuse. But I do understand his sense of frustration in a world that treats many people as second class citizens.

And this is not the first time in history that people have been killed because of their appearance. And its sad that all those times occured as well.

[orchid2]

I hate to "go there," but why do I sense that there would have been a much greater outrage if the situation had been reversed?

Regardless, any racially motivated hate crime IS a hate crime, and I don't see how ANYONE should be able to "understand where he's coming from" or justify it in their minds.

Unfortunately, there are bad apples in every bunch that ruin things for everybody.

[AnonAlumna]

I really don't want to get involved in a race discussion, but what exactly constitutes the 'typical white lifestyle'...should I be living it because I'm white?

[Rudey]

Originally posted by jubilance1922
Well, I'll give my perspective. Imagine you live in an area where no one looks like you. You are stared at, ridiculed for your features, told you are ugly, worthless, less than a human being. You go to restaurants and stores and are either treated like a thief or ignored. People cross to the other side of the street when they see you. You are called names, harrassed, spit on, maybe even beaten.

Many of these things have happened to me, and lots of other minorities in this country. I am NOT excusing his behavior, because killing someone is WRONG no matter what the excuse. But I do understand his sense of frustration in a world that treats many people as second class citizens.

And this is not the first time in history that people have been killed because of their appearance. And its sad that all those times occured as well.

"Excuse: to serve as a reason or cause or justification of; "Your need to sleep late does not excuse your late arrival at work"; "Her recent divorce amy explain her reluctance to date again" "

No, it sounds like you're excusing it.

-Rudey

[Rudey]

Originally posted by orchid2
I hate to "go there," but why do I sense that there would have been a much greater outrage if the situation had been reversed?

Regardless, any racially motivated hate crime IS a hate crime, and I don't see how ANYONE should be able to "understand where he's coming from" or justify it in their minds.

Unfortunately, there are bad apples in every bunch that ruin things for everybody.

If a white person lynched a black person because he was black, nobody would try and find a reason/excuse for it because they knows it's absolutely disgusting.

-Rudey

[jubilance1922]

Originally posted by Rudey
If a white person lynched a black person because he was black, nobody would try and find a reason/excuse for it because they knows it's absolutely disgusting.

-Rudey

Not true. People have justified lynchings for years, making it a "family outing" instead of a horrible act. Ever seen pics of families with picnic baskets and man hanging from a tree?

[Rudey]

Originally posted by jubilance1922
Not true. People have justified lynchings for years, making it a "family outing" instead of a horrible act. Ever seen pics of families with picnic baskets and man hanging from a tree?

They are called racist ASAP.

You can reason through it, make excuses, or go so far as taking pictures, but at the end of the day there's a pretty solid line in the sand on this one.

-Rudey

[jubilance1922]

Originally posted by Rudey
They are called racist ASAP.

You can reason through it, make excuses, or go so far as taking pictures, but at the end of the day there's a pretty solid line in the sand on this one.

-Rudey

I agree...

Did I say I understand why he killed someone? NO.

But I understand the feelings of anger and pain at being a second class citizen. But that DOES NOT justify killing someone, which is said before.

Wrong is wrong no matter how you try to justify it.