RACISM
How Some White People Weaponize Their Fear to Get Away With Murder
An essay about the tragic death of Loletha Hall
In this country, the lives of Black people are routinely sacrificed at the altar of white fear. We can see this play out in the discourse surrounding the death of Loletha Hall, a 61-year-old Black woman fatally shot by William Brock, an 81-year-old White man. A hauntingly familiar narrative is taking shape, one that portrays Hall’s killer as the victim. Allegedly, scammers made threatening calls to Brock prior to the incident, which inspired his violent response to Hall, an Uber driver who attempted to pick up a package from his South Charleston home in Ohio. This focus on his fear is like a smokescreen that distracts from the tragedy of a Black woman’s death and illustrates how White people can weaponize their fear to evade accountability.
Make no mistake — this sympathetic portrayal is an effort to garner support and empathy for a White man who shot and killed an unarmed Black woman. On dash-cam video footage that partially captured the incident, Hall can be heard pleading, “Sir, I’m just here to pick up a package,” while physically backing away in an effort to subdue his fear. When it was clear that Brock refused to let her leave, she threatened to call 911, and he shot her, continuing to…
