Many people would draw the same conclusion that the authorities say four young black men apparently drew last Saturday: Confederate flag equals white racist.
The rebel battle flag was flying from a stand in the bed of Michael David Westerman’s pickup truck the day he was shot to death. But the tinted windows of his pickup kept some attackers from recognizing the driver, Mr. Westerman, who was their friend.
Mr. Westerman, 19, a white graduate of a high school whose teams are nicknamed the Rebels, was killed by a gunshot to the heart. The four black youths, Freddy Morrow, Damien Darden and Tony Andrews, all 17, and Marcus Merriweather, 15, were charged with murder in juvenile court on Thursday.
“I’ve talked to all of them and the only thing that might have motivated them was the fact that the truck had a Rebel flag on it,” said Detective Dave Benton of the Robertson County Sheriff’s office. “The suspects thought there were several males in the truck. They didn’t know until later that they had known him. They were friends.”
The county prosecutor has asked that the teens, all from Guthrie, Ky., be tried as adults. Mr. Westerman, 19, was from Elkton, Ky., about three miles away.
The shooting has heightened racial tension in Guthrie, a town of 1,400 on the Kentucky-Tennessee border. Since the shooting, there have been four cross burnings.
David Westerman, the victim’s father, appealed to whites not to seek revenge. “Michael would not have done it, and I don’t want them to do it,” he said. “I just want the justice system to do its job.”
Mr. Westerman said the Confederate flag was an expression of pride for students at Todd Central High School, his son’s alma mater.
But Clarence Johnson, a retired firefighter and a leader among Guthrie’s blacks, blamed the shooting on the flag. He said the teens just wanted to get the driver’s attention.
“They didn’t intend to hurt him,” Mr. Johnson said. “They just wanted to stop him about the flag.”
The shooting occurred after Michael Westerman and his wife, Hannah, stopped at a Guthrie gas station and market on Saturday.
A carload of black youths then followed the Westermans a few miles across the Kentucky border into Tennessee and several shots from a .32-caliber pistol were fired at their truck.
Mr. Westerman had a loaded .380 automatic pistol in his truck, but did not fire it, his wife said.
Mr. Westerman was probably killed by Mr. Morrow, who did not know him, said B. Dent Morriss, an assistant district attorney in Robertson County. Mrs. Westerman, who had just given birth to twins five weeks ago, was unharmed.
Mr. Morrow’s mother, Cynthia Batie of Riverdale, Ill., said her son told her that he and his friends had exchanged words with Mr. Westerman in the parking lot of the gas station and “racial remarks were thrown out,” Ms. Batie said. The police have not confirmed that account.
Mrs. Westerman said that the shooting was unprovoked.
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The Confederate flag symbolizes/represents a group of thirteen confederate states, who took on the federal government over unfair taxation, and states rights versus federal power.
In the Articles of Confederation, as well as the subsequent Constitution, the states were supposed to have authority, and the federal govt was to be an overseer and manager.
The Civil War was NOT fought over slavery. Slavery was a dying institution, as mechanized farm equipment was coming in.
Blacks today are rewriting history. The real injustice was not slavery, but the 100 years of segregation, humiliation,, and persecution of black people AFTER THE WAR, AND YOU CAN THANK THE NORTH FOR THE WAY THAT WAS HANDLED.
All the major riots in the 60’s took place in NORTHERN cities, like Detroit, Chicago, DC, and almost every town on the US highway between Detroit and Chicago. The south never had riots. Blacks and whites are used to each other and get along.
Black revisionists are taking advantage of the ignorance of their own people and brainwashing them that the proud Confederate flag is something racist and evil.
The South saw a federal government getting more and more oppressive and they took a stand against it. Now look at the government. it’s gone damned near Communist and is drunk on its own power.
Someday it will get so bad, people will appreciate what the South tried to do.
LONG LIVE GENERAL ROBERT E LEE AND LONG LIVE THE SPIRIT OF A PROUD SOUTHERN PEOPLE.
GOD BLESS THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA
As far as the racist views expressed here, I am white, and I would like to see black and white brothers and sisters walk hand in hand into a beautiful tomorrow.
GOD HELP US ALL WITH THIS FUCKING HATE
It’s time we in this country starting recognizing that all blacks are racist. White people can not imagine how bad it is. I’d say all blacks are racist and about 25% want to kill all whites. And like we see here unfortunately alot of them do. I’ve been pondering this for many years now. I think White liberals elected Obama because they thought that if we elect a black to high office then the blacks will stop hating us. Now we see more Black Racism then ever before. If you live in a nice small town were there are only a handful of blacks you might not realize the extent of the problem (and boy are you guys lucky)but take a look at the large cities. Whites cannot live in ;Baltimore,Atlanta,Detroit, Chicago,Philadelphia, with out hearing racist comments several times a day. by n1ggers. If there is going to be a large genocide in the US it’ll be by N1ggers, putting White men women and children into Concentration camps- killing millons a week G-D Forbide
Darwin said there would come a time when most members of a species would die. Maybe because of weather, maybe because of volcanoes, for whatever reason. These great times are fantastic at evolving the species. We are coming to a time where there will be a test, and only the \best\ or those able to adapt will survive. I suspect the retards won’t do so well.
fucking niggers they all need to die slowly and painfully these nig nogs are taking over this once proud and pure blooded nation and still everything is racist to those fucking shitskins those worthless niggers are all pussies that can’t fight if they knew how to box they wouldn’t carry guns thats the reason for our murder rate a big ego from an enslaved nigger is another serious problem and they still have the nerve to call us white devil after my hard earned tax dollars go into their welfare checks and food stamps and what is up with the nigger president what a shame they have a problem with the confederate flag lets see how they feel after i chop off all their arms and legs and make a swastica out of nigger limbs and then drag them through a plowed cornfield behind my 99 chevy pickup the white race needs to stock up on guns and ammo and run all that is not pure blooded out of our country IF YOU AINT WHITE YOU AINT RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
POWER TO THE ARYANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SIEG HEIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Since when was a nation that originally belonged to Native Americans purely Aryan? A majority of people in America could care less about this racist crap, we have real professional issues that concerns us. If you want to go to your country, return to England. Besides, Blacks were forced over here. If it wasn;t for the Blacks, there would be no America.
Hitler hated so called American Nazis. They are not apart of the pure race. The pure race was soley Germans. Hitler’s plan was to eliminate the Jews, then other minorities, then to destroy the Whites of the Western World. Why else would he have conquered England, and France, and Poland? Not all Whites fit into the equation. You must know history, then you will see the truth.
Wearing a Confederate flag and having some niggers as ”friends”? How’s that?
It might be a confusion in Mr.Westerman’s head, but still niggers are niggers.
They are menace and pollution on Earth.
Niggaz belong to Africa. Deport all of them back from America and Europe. Let them deal with each other and let’s see how they can take care the nigger issue there.
STOP THE HATE – SEGREGATE!
Return to England. Go back home. Native Americans were here first.
boo hoo who cares white people deserve death for all the shit they’ve committed.
Eventhough Whites have commited an inconsiderable amount of Heinous crimes to people all over the world, not just Blacks, this one kid had nothing to do with any of the things his ancestors committed. All of the most monstrous acts done to groups of people were done by Whites. Look at the succession of Ceasars,Napoleon, Maxamillean, Czars, and Adolf Hitler. Hitler hated so called American Nazis!!!
Jon says:boo hoo who cares white people deserve death for all the shit they’ve committed.= Jon
A.j.’No Jon You deserve death you sick piece of black shhit :-D If I see you I’ll rearrage your ugly face you dumb n1gger
What do you expect from blacks? They would have ended up in prison anyway. Its just to bad he did not return fire.