Cannon Hinnant (right) and his accused killer Darious Sessoms. Heavy.
As you may be aware the death of a five year old has blown up to be one of the biggest news stories right now. Cannon Hinnant was a five year old boy riding his bike when his neighbor, Darious Sessoms allegedly shot and killed him in front of his two sisters for unknown reasons. Heavy has more background on the case and the history of both Sessoms and Hinnant.
As tragic as this story is you might be forgiven for wondering what it made national and international news. After all, most murders don't, even ones even more horrific than this one. But this case has made international news now and appears to be one of the more important ones to happen since the death of George Floyd, at least in terms of criminal justice.
Most of the articles I have read have downplayed the racial angle but I am sure that this is why the story has gone viral. Ever since the death of George Floyd (and even before it) the media narrative is that black people are the victims of a racist system that is set up and enforced by white people. This case shows that narrative isn't the only one and indeed shows that white people can be victims of black violence as well.
And I think this case blew up because of the outrage over the outrage over George Floyd's death. I don't really think the two cases are that comparable, but I do think they have a point. After all, Floyd was a criminal and it's not really news when a criminal dies, whether at the hands of the police, the hands of a fellow criminal or by his own hand. Floyd's death sparked massive protests and riots that have killed a lot of innocent people, but it was pretty clear that Floyd was on a path that would have ended with him dead at a younger age regardless.
But Hinnant? As a five year old he was totally innocent. There is nothing that could ever be said to justify his death. In many ways, George Floyd chose to go out the way he did. He didn't have to take drugs, he didn't have to fight the cops and he didn't have to try and pass fake bills which caused the incident in the first place. Hinnant was just in the wrong place and the wrong time and he died for it.
And I think that's a big part of why there is so much outrage in this case. When you compare the life of George Floyd, a career criminal who basically caused his own death, with the life of Cannon Hinnant, an innocent child, it's clear which one is the actual outrage. But the response to the Floyd case was totally out of proportion. Even if you grant the police were out of line (and after seeing the bodycam footage I don't anymore) it's insane that the Floyd case ended with massive riots which were supported by the media while we all know that the Hinnant case will not. The message that Americans are getting is that the life of a black criminal is more important than the life of a white child, and that is a message that isn't going to resonate with anyone who isn't racist.
Part of the outrage too is also the media's reluctance to cover the story. For the first few days after the murder of Cannon Hinnant only right wing and local news outlets were covering his death. The mass media did end up covering it in the end after a massive shaming campaign but even now they are downplaying the death, mostly focusing on who Hinnant was and not his alleged killer. Even finding a mugshot for Sessoms was difficult for me, most of the bigger outlets aren't showing it. It's very clear that the media is uncomfortable with this story as it goes against their preferred narratives.
The case is bringing out a lot of racism on both sides. Sure, there are a lot of anti-black people out there, but they don't seem to be reacting the way the media thinks. Instead of attacking Sessoms, they are almost gleefully attacking Hinnant's father, who they see as an idiot at best and a race traitor at worse for inviting Sessoms into his house, even though the attack happened later.
But there are a lot of other racists out there that are celebrating this child's death. I've seen social media posts attacking Hinnant and saying he somehow deserved what happened to him just because he is white. They also try to downplay his murder by implying, falsely as far as I am aware, that he said the N-word to Sessoms. As if that would somehow justify the murder of a five year old...
Though tragic on it's own I think this case is going to become a rallying cry for people sick and tired of the Black Lives Matter movement, for better or worse. I doubt Hinnant's family want that to happen but it's already too late. It's an extremely strong argument as to why the reaction to George Floyd's death was not justified and it shows the media's bias a little to well to go away soon.
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