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Loading... The Lost Sons of Omaha: Two Young Men in an American Tragedy (2023)by Joe Sexton
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"On May 30, 2020, in Omaha, Nebraska, amid the protests that rocked our nation after George Floyd's death at the hands of police, thirty-eight-year-old white bar owner and Marine veteran Jake Gardner fatally shot James Scurlock, a twenty-two-year-old Black protestor and young father. What followed were two investigations of Scurlock's death, one conducted by the white district attorney Don Kleine, who concluded that Gardner had legally acted in self-defense and released without a trial, and a second grand jury inquiry conducted by African American special prosecutor Fred Franklin that indicted Gardner for manslaughter and demanded he face trial. Days after the indictment, Gardner killed himself with a single bullet to the head. The deaths of both Scurlock and Gardner gave rise to a toxic brew of misinformation, false claims, and competing political agendas. The two men, each with their own complicated backgrounds, were turned into grotesque caricatures. Between the heated debates and diatribes, these twin tragedies amounted to an ugly and heartbreaking reflection of a painfully divided country. Here, Joe Sexton masterfully unpacks the whole twisting, nearly unbelievable chronicle into a meticulously reported and nuanced account of the two deaths, explaining which claims were true and which distorted or simply false. The Lost Sons of Omaha carefully examines some of the most pressing issues facing America today, including our country's dire need for gun control and mental health reform; the dangerous spread of fake news, particularly on social media; and the urgent call to band together in the collective pursuit of truth, fairness, and healing"-- No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)364.152Social sciences Social problems and services; associations Criminology Crimes and Offenses Offenses against persons HomicideLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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The incident got enough news coverage that many readers will have heard about it and likely, based on their views (we are, after all, living in a partisan society), have an opinion about guilt, innocence, and everything in between. I came to the book with such an opinion and it didn't change it very much. I'm not sure that is the purpose of the book, our views on what constitutes justifiable homicide will differ and the basic elements of the case haven't changed.
What Sexton did for me was help me to see beyond simply taking a side. To the extent justice should be a common goal, there shouldn't be sides, just different ideas of justice. No matter where one stands, there are some things that make this a sad event not only for Omaha but for our society as a whole. These were two human beings, with friends and family who loved them. Neither of them should have had to die, property damage is not a capital offense and standing trial for taking the life of another human being shouldn't be avoided by taking one's life, take responsibility instead.
Sexton shows that even events where we can easily make a snap judgement about right or wrong is never quite so straightforward. The line is not so definitive between the two and, even if you place most of the responsibility on one side, there is more to their story than just that one moment.
I recommend this to those interested in our current struggles for social justice as well as those who like to know more about events we have an awareness of. I guess true crime buffs might also enjoy this, though I wonder whether the partisanship we are currently living with will make this as enjoyable for those interested in the story as crime rather than sociology or psychology or even politics.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )