The Christopher Lane Murder Wasn't a Tragedy, It Was a Hate Crime

Personally I think the whole notion of something being classified as "hate crime" and treated differently than a regular crime is misguided at best. But if we have to live with that designation this certainly would fit the definition.

Three Oklahoma teens are accused of shooting and killing 23-year-old Chris Lane, an Australian student visiting the United States on a baseball scholarship. Sixteen-year-old Chancey Luna, along with his friends James Edwards and Michael Jones, have been charged in connection to the slaying. Not only was the case possibly a hate crime, it should spark a national conversation about the way our media treats race.

The tweets and Facebook status updates from accounts linked to James Edwards paint a very clear picture of someone obsessed with violence and hatred for white people. Edwards had no problem putting violent and hate-filled messages like "90% of white ppl are nasty. #HATE THEM." or "knocked out 5 woods since Zimmerman court." out for public consumption. "Woods" is a slang term for white people.