Karmelo Anthony: Injustice In Black And White?

The case of Kamelo Anthony, a high achieving student and talented athlete who stands accused of murder after an altercation with a White male at a track meet in Frisco, Texas, has drawn an incredible amount of attention and high emotion.

Austin Metcalf, the White high school student who died, and Karmelo were reportedly involved in an argument and fight after Austin told Karmelo to leave a tent. Karmelo, who weighed less than and was shorter than Austin and his twin brother.

According to reports, Karmelo warned Austin not to touch him again. Austin reportedly ignored Karmelo, grabbed him and Karmelo stabbed the football player. The wound was fatal. Karmelo reportedly told police he "acted in self defense."

Karmelo was arrested, charged with murder and locked up with a $1 million bond.

The tragedy has drawn strong views largely along racial lines, with Whites blasting Karmelo as a "thug," "troublemaker," and "murderer." They have also disparaged Karmelo and his parents and demanded justice.

Blacks have argued Karmelo had a right to self defense and that Austin should not have aggressed him nor bullied him. They pointed to the cases of George Zimmerman, who shot and killed teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012 in Florida; the 2023 killing Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old, mentally distressed, homeless Black man by Daniel Penny, who placed him a chokehold; and other cases where Blacks were killed by Whites who walked free.

Black folk don't have to capitulate to White people and Whites need to learn to keep their hands to themselves, they say.

We were joined April 8 by civil rights leader Rev. Corine Mack, who discussed the case, the continuing problem of White bias and racism, White control of the incident's narrative, disrespect of Black people and Black lives, and the demonization of young Black males.

It was the a powerful discussion, as the president of the Charlotte NAACP laid out her case and shared a similar incident in Charlotte, where a young Black male was accused of beating an Arab American girl in a school. Information put out about the young man was false and the girl actually punched the boy in his face during an argument and was the aggressor, she said.

Does self defense apply here? Do "Stand Your Ground Laws" apply to Black people whose rights are never respected? Rev. Brown asked. "White people believe they can say or do anything. They believe they have the complexion for the protection and they usually do," she noted.

There was also a controversy over donations of almost $300,000 given to support Karmelo and family, while millions have been to Whites who killed Blacks and were set free. Austin's family has also received about $300,000.

There are also those who are trying to make this incident a "White Lives Matter" moment showcasing a White person slaughtering a White person for no reason.

Listeners called in and gave their views, which you need to hear.

"Straight Words With Naba'a Richard Muhammad, Bj Murphy and James G. Muhammad" airs live Tuesdays, 9pm-12am CDT on WVON AM 1690 in Chicago. It's livestreamed on I Heart Radio and WVON.com.

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