Black Attacker Uses ‘Stand Your Ground’ Defense After Crippling White Man
Brian Anderson
November 6, 2015
For black people in America “Stand Your Ground” laws are the most racist things ever conceived. Everyone from Al Sharpton to Jordan Davis’ mom are convinced these self-defense laws allow white people to legally hunt and kill black people and that they are responsible for all of the violence in the black community. That’s why it’s kind of strange that a black man in New Orleans is mounting a “stand your ground” defense after he assaulted and crippled a white man.
The New Orleans Advocate reports that 6 foot 6 inch tall black man Christopher Smith punch 64-year old white retiree Doug David in an apparent road rage incident last month. David, a tourist from La Jolla, CA, is a quadriplegic as a result of the attack.
On October 15, David was leaving a jazz club in the French Quarter when Smith blew through a stop sign and almost ran him over. David threw a beer can at Smith’s car, which caused the black man to stop and get out of his car.
Surveillance video caught the encounter. Smith came after David who was backing away with his hands up defensively. Smith punched David twice in the face. David was knocked out on his feet and crashed to the pavement, sustaining further injury. David is now permanently crippled; having lost the use of his arms and legs. Smith quickly left the scene and went on a romantic date with his girlfriend.
It took police 40 minutes to respond to the assault and another 10 days before they investigated it. Eventually they got around to identifying Smith as the assailant and arrested him this week. He has been charged with 2nd degree battery, which could put him in jail for up to 8 years.
Enter Smith’s bleep lawyer Gino Gates who has a novel defense for this vicious attack:
Gates claimed Smith is protected under Louisiana’s version of a “stand your ground” law. He also claimed “racial slurs were involved” and that David “was kicking at him and had his fists up” when Smith, 30, landed the debilitating blow.
For the record, the video evidence disputes Gate’s claim that David was kicking and punching.
“The video depicts the victim raising his hands defensively, at which time he is struck in the face two times by the black male subject wearing a cap,” reads the police report.
David went down without reaching for the ground. The video shows Smith fleeing the scene…
Here’s the thing about “stand your ground” type laws: they say a person has no duty to retreat if his or her life is threatened. Smith wasn’t standing his ground. He got out of his car and went after David. Smith could have kept driving or pulled over to call the police about the beer can. He did neither and at no point was his life in danger.
As if it’s not offensive enough that Smith’s lawyer is trying to use “stand your ground” in this case, check out how characterizes the incident:
“I recognize his injuries are a concern,” Gates said. But, he said, “people have been fighting in the French Quarter for 200 years.”
And as for an explanation why Smith immediately left after crippling David:
“When you’re defending yourself, you move on. You’re not going to wait around. He punched him; he moved on,” said Gates. “It was his intention to be on a date with his girlfriend.”
Generally in a self-defense situation, the victim calls the police, not go out on a hot date. Clearly Smith was not the victim here, the guy who is paralyzed from the chest down is.
After so much effort by black activists to repeal “stand your ground” laws it seems a little hypocritical that a black man is using it as a defense for permanently disabling a white man. I wonder if this will make Smith an “Uncle Tom” in the eyes of the black community.
If this defense is successful, and I hope it isn’t, does that mean white people should rally against “stand your ground” laws because they give blacks a license to cripple whites?
http://downtrend.com/71superb/black-attacker-uses-stand-your-ground-defense-after-crippling-white-man
