Black Teen Jailed For Defending Himself Against White Mob? [Video]

The reason many activists across the country are working so hard to change ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws is because the laws are not interpreted objectively across the board by police and judges. Some people are allowed to stand their ground, while others are carried away to jail for the same offenses.

While  the details of the Eric Oliver case are sketchy, Oliver’s family says he was jailed for preventing a white mob from attacking his friend.

According to the family, the white mob wanted the family to send out a young man named Mikey, but when the family complied, Mikey was attacked. Eric Oliver then came outside to rescue Mikey from the mob. Then, a white woman allegedly yelled, “n****r you’re going to jail!” and called police on Oliver.  According to the family, police arrived at the scene and refused to hear Oliver’s version of the events. Police allegedly arrested Oliver after hearing only the white mob’s version of the events.

What is still unclear is why Mikey was attacked. What precipitated this fight? Who started it? There are too many unanswered questions to reach a conclusion in this instance, but it would appear that not enough has been done to get to the bottom of this case.  We encourage you to watch the family’s YouTube video below to reach your own conclusions.

From Change.org:

The frame up, arrest, and incarceration of Eric Anthony Oliver, a young Black Man, in Bronson, Florida is yet another example of a wrongful conviction in the makings. The circumstances of this young man’s arrest are outrageous. As you are probably aware Eric was arrested on June 12, 2012 while defending his family and friends from a white mob the encroached on he and his mother’s home. This is Trayvon Martin all over again, except the victim survived this time. This mob attacked a 16-year-old young man but nobody from the mob has been arrested. If there was ever a stand your ground case this is it.