He wasn’t armed with a block of concrete, but Daniel Adkins is dead. You’ve probably never hear the name Daniel Atkins or Jude Cordell before. Well, if you haven’t, don’t feel bad because it’s not your fault. Why? Because national media hasn’t mentioned their named over the past year. Instead, they have opted to run the story of Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman well into the ground. Why? Because everyone loves a good story involving race and a perceived injustice. You know, the sort of thing that has been happening in America for quite some time now. Yes, black folks getting the shitty end of the stick isn’t quite new in America. So yes, how dare a white man (who is actually Hispanic) kill a 17-year-old unarmed black teen without provocation and not be arrested for doing so?
Of course we all know how the Zimmerman trial turned out. It’s safe to say that the Not Guilty verdict returned in that trial is fresh in the minds of many. So much so that activists are now lobbying the state of Florida to bring to an end its controversial Stand Your Ground self-defense law. Why? Because to some, it’s clear that the law and it’s application is racially biased. This is a claim that I don’t endorse not with which I agree; and, I’ve shared my opinion on the egregious mischaracterization of the law before (read here). Nonetheless, to some, the law has to go. After all, such a law on the books as it has been in 21 states only encourages violence, and the assassination of black males young and old alike; so yes, it’s about race.
Jude Cordell (Left) and Daniel Adkins (Right)
So what does this have to do with Daniel Adkins and Jude Cordell? Well, given the fact that one of them is dead and the as a result of a gunshot wound and there has been no arrest, one would think it would be a a pretty “big fucking dead,” as Vice President Joe Biden would say. One would think that the media would be whipping up everyone into a frenzy demanding justice. But I suppose when a story isn’t sexy enough to be racialized as was the Zimmerman trial, everything else just falls to the wayside. Yep, I’ve blogged about the Daniel Adkins case before, and it’s unfortunate that none of my left-wing buddies are not using this case to justify their argument that Stand Your Ground self-defense laws are dangerous. So who is Daniel Adkins? Read the following excerpt from my post which introduced his story, on April 9th, 2012 to become a bit familiar.
Well, the victim in this particular case is a 22-year-old white male who as it turns out, was mentally retarded and had the mental capacity of a 12-year-old. The shooter however, happens to be a black man. What I find particularly interesting, is the fact that there is very little talk of justice for Daniel Adkins much in the same way there’s talk of justice for Trayvon Martin. And I find this particularly interesting given the politicization of the incident involving George Zimmerman’s claim of self-defense as it relates to the NRA pushed and ALEC supported Stand Your Ground Law. In case you’ve been under a rock for the past few weeks, the Stand Your Ground Law currently exists in 24 states. Arizona, where Daniel Adkins was killed, like Florida, also has their own version of Stand Your Ground. (read more)
Make no mistake, part of the reason Trayvon’ Martin’s death seemed like an injustice initially, was because Zimmerman was not arrested. We all know the story, there were mass rallies and protests in the interest of justice up until he was arrested 44 days after killing Trayvon. Adkins was killed just a matter of weeks removed from Trayvon’s death, but yet there was no outrage. Adkins’ killer, Jude Cordell, remained a free man and was never arrested for the death of Adkins. Why? Could it be that the shooter in this case being black, made the case less motivated by race?
PHOENIX – It’s been called the “reverse Trayvon Martin” case.
A Hispanic man dead, shot and killed in the parking lot of a south Phoenix Taco Bell. The shooter is black. He told police he only shot in self-defense.
Still, a grand jury indicted Jude Cordell on 2nd degree murder charges. His trial will start next month.
Cordell is facing 2nd degree murder charges, but this entire time he’s been out of jail.
Jude Cordell is on supervised released as he waits for trial. He’s accused of killing 29-year-old Daniel Adkins at a Phoenix Taco Bell. Cordell says it was self-defense. Adkins’ family believes he was murdered.
“I want him behind bars. I want him to pay for this,” says Marina Reyes, Adkins’ sister.
Adkins was developmentally disabled. Last year, he was walking his yellow lab, Lady, down the street. Cordell was pulling out of the Taco Bell drive-thru and almost ran over Adkins. Adkins allegedly hit the car and yelled at Cordell. That’s when Cordell says he feared for his life and pulled out a gun and shot Adkins.
Jude Cordell
Police didn’t arrest Cordell after the shooting. But four months later, a grand jury indicted him.
“If he felt that my brother was threatening him he could have easily just rolled up the window and called the cops,” says Reyes.
One of the conditions of Cordell’s release was once-a-month drug testing. According to court paperwork, Cordell failed a drug test in May. But he wasn’t sent back to jail. He was ordered to take weekly drug tests instead.
Cordell’s trial is less than 4-weeks away. It’s been almost year and a half since the shooting.
“I forgave him for what he did. It’s hard for a father to do but if I hate somebody I’m just as bad as he is,” says Daniel Adkins, Sr.
Cordell is also on 18-month probation stemming from another arrest for possession of marijuana.
So here we are well over a year later, and though there has been an indictment by a Grand Jury, no arrest has been made because Jude Cordell isn’t seen as a threat to society. Yep, never mind the fact that he was arrested for weed possession after being pulled over while driving a car with two suspects from a drive-bye shooting as passengers. I could be wrong, but I’d like to think that the circumstances for his arrest would have urged more people to rally for his arrest. But no, I guess since his crime wasn’t deemed to be racially motivated, unlike the actions of Zimmerman, there was no need for national coverage by media outlets (outside of any coverage by bloggers such as myself). That said, I don’t expect there to be a media circus next month when the trial starts. Of course I find this to be very hypocritical. But hey, if it don’t make dollars, it don’t make sense.
If President Barack Obama had a son, he’d probably look like Trayvon Martin. The sad truth that is hardly accepted is that Obama’s son would more than likely be killed by someone who looks like him. To be clear, racial profiling is a very serious issue. And, some may say that the Daniel Adkins case though reversed from that of Trayvon’s isn’t such an issue. My wonder is if many who are of this opinion, are only saying this because the media, as well as many of the so-called leaders in the black community hasn’t told them that it was. Besides, it’s not in racial unless a black person is the victim, right? Yes, and we have the 3.1% of all white-on-black homicides per FBI data, to thank for this well concocted notion. Not to be condescending, but isn’t an injustice anywhere a threat to justice everywhere? Pardon me, but was Trayvon’s life more valuable than Daniel’s?
