Not Enough 'Outrage' Against The Shooting Of An Unarmed White Teen By Cops?

On August 15, a rally is expected to be held at Seneca by an anti-violence activist, Jack Logan. He is on a drive to get the Seneca Police Department officials to share more data regarding the death of Zachary Hammond, who was shot during a drug sting on July 26, according to independentmail.

Jack Logan has run Put Down the Guns Young People for five years. He wants the public to pressure Seneca Police Chief John Covington to apologize to Hammond's family for the shooting.

"He doesn't have to say if the officer was right or wrong," Logan said. "But we want people to walk away having faith in law enforcement, and by apologizing, saying he feels bad to the family for the son being killed, it would help."

The unarmed 19-year-old, Zachary Hammond, had been on his first date when he was shot by a cop during a "drug bust" in South Carolina, says his family. At that point, his girlfriend, Tori Morton, had been eating ice cream, says their attorney, Eric Bland. But the 23-year-old Morton was arrested and charged with transport of 10 grams of marijuana.

The undercover agents had set up a "drug buy", according to washingtonpost.

On July 26, two shots felled Hammond in a Hardees parking lot. But the official police report never even referred to them. The Seneca police, though, say that another report that has not been disclosed to the public gives the details of the shooting spree. However, what is worrying is that the shooting has sparked off a host of questions, yet there is no "national outrage".

 It's a week since the death, so the attorney makes a new accusation.

Race.

Hammond was white. So why is it that unlike the others from Ferguson and Cleveland to North Charleston and Cincinnati, there has been no outcry? Where is the "All Lives Matter" crowd?

"It's sad, but I think the reason is, unfortunately, the media and our government officials have treated the death of an unarmed white teenager differently than they would have if this were a death of an unarmed black teen," Bland told The Washington Post. "The hypocrisy that has been shown toward this is really disconcerting."

He added: "The issue should never be what is the color of the victim. The issue should be: Why was an unarmed teen gunned down in a situation where deadly force was not even justified?"

Police reports claim that Hammond was driving the car "toward the officer", and therefore it looked like he was trying to kill him. Hence, the officer shot him twice in the shoulder and torso. The second shot entered his body from the back and pierced his lungs and heart, killing him.

Bland, the family lawyer, said that the silence over Hammond's shooting is deafeningly silent. "They're called the civil rights organizations, they're not called the black rights organizations," Bland said. "The color of his skin should not matter. White-on-white crime does not get the same impact as white-on-black crime."

Even black activists are asking the same questions.

 "The whole issue of race is getting distorted and what's getting lost is the real issue which is excessive force," said Bland, the attorney. "All people need to be outraged by this. All people need to be asking the hard questions."