Vinson: When do you report death threats?
Tuesday, June 30, 2015 4:11 pm By MIKE VINSON As my deceased mother, a highly religious woman, said many times "Toward the End of Time Satan will go on a rampage taking as many victims with him as possible!" Tragically, that saying came to "life" (to sadly pun) on Wednesday/June 17, 2015, at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, a.k.a. Emanuel AME, in Charleston, South Carolina. A historical landmark, Emanuel AME is the "oldest African Methodist Episcopal church in the South." Slight in stature, his overall appearance accented by an unkempt "bowl" haircut and a "lost" gaze in his eyes, Dylan Roof, a 21-year-old white man, native of South Carolina, was sitting amongst black Emanuel AME as congregates during a service being held June 17. Minus extraneous provocation, Roof stood up, opened fire with a .45 caliber handgun--which he reportedly received from his father as a 21st birthday gift--and shot to death 9 black people and wounding one. With a nation-wide, all-points bulletin immediately issued, Dylan Roof was arrested on Thursday/June 18, in Shelby, North Carolina. By all accounts, Roof confessed to the multiple murders. Two factors render this mass slaying particularly heinous: (1) It took place inside a church, where folks go to worship a Higher Power. (2) It was racially motivated: The Emanuel AME murders merely stoked the raging racial fire that threatens to consume America, if not quickly doused by someone, somehow! The reason I say "disturbingly interesting" is the relatively young Roof went beyond the clueless beginner's intro of, "I'll get some white supremacist jailhouse tats on my arms and be a bad-ass hatemonger!" Rather, Dylan Roof took the time to study up on the histories of South Africa and Rhodesia. About the Emanuel AME tragedy, I heard an anchorwoman on "Fox News" ask a legal analyst if any of Dylan Roof's friends could be held accountable for not alerting law enforcement about Roof's statements. In no way taking up for Dylan Roof's actions, I'm going to play devil's advocate here: A friend tells you he/she is planning a mass murder. However, the friend (unlike Roof) has a clean background. So, you go to law enforcement and advise them of the friend's diabolical plan. Authorities go question your friend, and the friend says, "I never said that. He/she must be crazy!" There is no solid proof; it's your word against his/her word. Next thing you know, you're subpoenaed to court on charges of defamation of character! On the other hand, you think the matter through and decide not to alert authorities. Alas, a couple days later, your friend guns down 9 innocent people in cold blood! Guilt-ridden you tell the media the friend told you about his/her plan to commit murder. Will-should-you be held accountable? So, law enforcement, here's a question for you: Precisely "what" separates alerting authorities regarding a potentially threatening statement made to you versus keeping quiet about it?
|