Left-wing activist eats his own words after complaining about racial framing of white teen's fatal beating
Jonathan Lewis, 17, was savagely beaten by a mob of 15 other students outside his Las Vegas high school on Nov. 1. His father, Jonathan Lewis Sr., indicated that the boy had drawn the ire of the attackers by standing up for "one of his smaller friends." After a week on life support at University Medical Center, Lewis Jr. succumbed to his injuries.
While the victim's family tries to process his death, others are puzzling over why this violent episode has not elicited the kind of national response other racially dichotomous incidents have in recent years.
The individual who manages the End Wokeness account on X embraced a turn of phrase often employed by BLM activists, writing Saturday, "Say his name: Jonathan Lewis. Last week, a 17-year-old white teen was beaten to death by a group of black kids. You didn't hear anything about this story because it doesn't fit the narrative."
Anti-Trump activist and liberal entrepreneur Brian Krassenstein took issue with End Wokeness' suggestion, responding Sunday, "Yes, he was white and those who beat him were black. This fight had no indication, that I am aware of, of having anything to do with race."
"I just find it ironic that the 'End Wokeness' account that constantly complains that 'woke people make everything about race,' is making this tragedy all about race," continued Krassenstein. "Remember this kid for who he is, and stop trying to turn his death into some kind of circus. Unless those he fought with were attacking him because of his skin color, stop making it about skin color."
Krassenstein then boldly asserted, "I would say the exact same thing if the roles were reversed."
End Wokeness seized upon Krassenstein's sudden moral clarity and race blindness, replying, "Hang on."
"There is still no evidence that the death of George Floyd had anything to do with race. There is still no evidence that the death of Trayvon Martin had anything to do with race. There is still no evidence that the death of Michael Brown had anything to do with race. There is still no evidence that the death of Jordan Neely had anything to do with race. There is still no evidence that the shooting of Ralph Yarl had anything to do with race. I could go on and on and on," wrote End Wokeness. "Yet that didn't stop you guys from endlessly using these deaths as proof of systemic racism."
Krassenstein, apparently committed to the notion that he wouldn't project racial acrimony onto tragedies and atrocities, answered back, "Show me where I've done this?"
Less than 10 minutes later, End Wokeness provided an example from January in which Krassenstein wrote, "What happened to Tyre Nichols is disgusting. It's cold-blooded murder. Systemic Racism is part of the problem."
Nichols was a 29-year-old black man who died after five black Memphis police officers beat him following a traffic stop in January.
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Rather than admit at least one inconsistency, Krassenstein defended his earlier argument, noting, "There is Systemic racism in this country that does make it more risky being a black man in the United States. If you think otherwise, then you're crazy. African-Americans commit more crime per capital [sic] on average, mostly because of socioeconomic differences. Therefore according to multiple studies police officers are more likely to view them as criminal or violent, including black police officers."
Another user subsequently highlighted a post that might shed some light on Krassenstein's equitable sense of outrage as it pertains to racially charged incidents.
Responding to Elon Musk's Nov. 6 statement, "Racism is racism and it is evil, no matter who is targeted. End of story," Krassenstein wrote, "The Nashville manifesto from Audrey Hale is terrible. It's racist. It's incredible [sic] disturbing and should be addressed for sure. With that said it's important to realize that, on average, racism towards a minority is usually more harmful than racism towards a group who is considered a majority. Don't pretend that racism against white people are [sic] at all equal to that of black people. The two are both bad but one has had much more impact on a race."
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Lewis Sr., the father of the victim in the Las Vegas beating, noted in a written statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, "This horrific tragedy is reflective of the divisive, conflict based, uncaring state that our society and humanity is currently facing with how we interact with our community."
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