Progress Toward Justice for Renisha McBride

Exactly a week ago, on the 9th of November, I posted the ugly story of Renisha McBride -

"Fatally shot for being a young black woman - 

Last Saturday, Renisha McBride got stranded after a car accident in a suburban neighborhood in Detroit. Her cellphone battery was dead, so she went to the nearest house and knocked on the door, planning to ask for help. Instead, unprovoked, the owner of the house fatally shot her in the head.¹

It seems like nothing could more blatantly lead to an arrest. But here's the thing: Michigan is one of the 30 states that has a "Stand Your Ground" Law.² Like in the case of George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin in Florida, gun-owners in Michigan are allowed to "shoot first" if they feel someone poses a threat.

In this case, Renisha's killer is claiming he shot her in the face by accident, because he thought she could be a burglar. He has not been arrested."

Today, I can report this from UltraViolet:

"Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy just announced that the man who shot unarmed teen Renisha McBride as she sought help after a car accident will be charged with murder and possession of an illegal firearm.¹

This quick investigation couldn't have happened without the nearly 60,000 of us who demanded action alongside groups like the Detroit NAACP and Color of Change. Together, we made sure yet another story of the senseless shooting of a black teenager didn't go unnoticed.

But our work isn't done. We know from past cases like Trayvon Martin's that Stand Your Ground laws can lead to killers getting away with the murder if they think someone looks "threatening," and Renisha's killer is claiming "self-defense" even though he shot Renisha through a locked screen door.

Can you thank Prosector Kym Worthy for charging Renisha's murderer and let her know we're counting on her to deliver a strong prosecution to get justice for Renisha and her family?

Click here to sign the letter.

Thanks for getting us a step closer toward justice for Renisha.

--Nita, Shaunna, Kat, Karin, Malinda, Adam, and Gabriela, the UltraViolet team

Source:

1. Renisha McBride's alleged shooter to be charged with murder, ABC News, November 15, 2013

Murder charges against the man who killed Renisha McBride, Fox News Detroit, November 15, 2013"


[BLOGGER'S NOTE:  You might well wonder why it's necessary to thank a law officer for doing what they should have done in the first place - the duty of their office. (Remember that the Florida cops in the Trayvon Martin case saw no reason to prosecute Zimmerman when he killed that other young Black person; they might argue that they knew what verdict a Florida jury would bring in - cynical har har.)
I'm guessing that the activists, thinking like politicos, not unreasonably think that our impartial legal system needs to be reminded that we are watching, and the public will reward, not punish, them for boldly doing the right thing.  Ain't life grand?]