John Lee Cowell apparently said nothing before he slashed two sisters with a knife on a BART platform Sunday, killing 18-year-old Nia Wilson, an African-American.
The police however so far say no hate motive has yet been linked to the stabbing.
KTVU, the Oakland-based news station ran an insensitive photo of Wilson. The picture purported to show her holding a gun…it was a cell phone.
Wilson’s uncle said Thursday he does not need the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office to tell him what he already knows: Cowell is white and his nieces are black.
Supporters calling for justice for Wilson also fear Cowell is already working on a mental illness criminal defense. His family told KRON-TV that he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
The African-American community in the Bay Area knows their lives are in constant peril in a society still steeped in prejudice. They also know the police, and the news media are not their friends.
via Black community sees racial hate motive in BART slaying – East Bay Times
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