I decided after some contemplating whether or not I should write this next piece because it is definitely a delicate and massively difficult topic to write about. For those that may need a bit of a warning, this piece deals with child homicide. This next piece is written with the utmost respect for the families involved, human life and sensitivity to the current climate we live in.
A few weeks ago, Social Media was overtaken with posts from mostly conservative leaning Facebook and Twitter users about a child that was murdered named #CannonHinnant. He had been murdered in front of his house and siblings. Questions were hurled about why wasn’t there an uproar from the media or from BLM protesters. “Where are the marches for him? Where are the protests? Where are the Golden Caskets?! Why isn’t the media all over this?!” I received messages in my inbox and were tagged in a few posts in regards to why there were not the same responses to his murder.
Comparisons were made to demonstrations for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain and more. Hashtags of #SaveOurChildren were in full swing at this time and it was gaining a LOT of momentum from the #AllLivesMatter promoters. What I had explained in detail was that Cannon’s murderer had already been arrested within 24 hours and yet, the demand for explanations for the lack of protests and outrage from the BlackLivesMatter crowd was at a fever pitch. Even with my explanation about the difference in the cases was met with angry hate mail in my inbox by some.
This morning while reading the news from a station that has had some of the most vile comments about the BLM movement and also several posts in response to the Cannon incident, posted a story about a double homicide involving two small children. A family friend committed the murders. The boys were 12 and 14.
You may or may not have heard of it. But what is unsurprisingly lacking are the posts and uproar that Cannon received. Not one person has asked me about this case. When you look at the comments on the post from the news station, most are calling for the death sentence for these boys murders but I took a look at the shares as well. Not one mention of #JusticeFor or #SaveOurChildren to accompany the story. This is the reason for this post.
With this situation, my inbox is empty. Not one mention of this story. No one has asked me about marches or protests. No hashtags in their honor. This is a similar situation to Cannon with one noticeable difference.
Several people asked me about the Cannon case which led me to write this essay about it: https://www.oddzuki.com/there-is-a-difference-rip-cannon-hinnant/
I don’t like making comparisons. I don’t want to fall into the “Whatabout-isms” that plague us right now. I’m not trying to find justifications for disparaging someone else’s arguments. What I am trying to shed light on are the differences in these situations and the reactions we have given where we are at as a country. What happened to all of these kids is absolutely tragic. As a father of four, I detest that this happens.
The absence of the uproar that Cannon received is telling. For all three of these kids that have been taken from their families, they are all getting their justice.
This situation, I suppose, could be viewed as “white on white” crime and perhaps that is why we are not hearing about it as fervently. Perhaps that’s why I haven’t received any questions about this and perhaps that’s why it’s not making news in the national media.
Regardless. I pray the parents of these children find peace and that the murderers of their children are prosecuted properly. And I also hope that we can find our compassion & humanity in every situation because it is sorely lacking right now.
