The headline appears everyday: “An unarmed man has been fatally shot by police.” The big difference is that this young man who lost his life is White. Zachary Hammond was reportedly unarmed and recently killed by a police officer.
Hammond was on a date July 26 when he was fatally shot by a police officer while in a parking lot at a Hardee’s fast-food restaurant in Seneca, South Carolina, according to Eric Bland, the attorney representing the teen’s family.
Recently The Washington Post released an article about the outrage on Black people not being vocal on his death, but social media shows that more Black people are advocating for his justice more than White people. The family lawyer had this to say:
“It’s sad, but I think the reason is, unfortunately, the media and our government officials have treated the death of an unarmed white teenager differently than they would have if this were a death of an unarmed black teen,” Bland told The Washington Post this week. “The hypocrisy that has been shown toward this is really disconcerting.”
Hypocrisy? These tweets definitely say otherwise.
Only reason I know about #ZacharyHammond is because #BlackLivesMatter activists I follow tweeted his story. ONLY reason
— The Only Good Nazi is a Dead Nazi, Jr. (@Joe_Schmucc) August 6, 2015
The murder of #ZacharyHammond is awful. You will not see ONE #BlackLivesMatter person trying to say that it is not. Not a one.
— Marquita (@MarqRobinson) August 6, 2015
The majority of folks speaking up for #ZacharyHammond are black people. Imagine that.
— X (@XLNB) August 4, 2015
https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/629878755197067264
According to Social Media, Black activists are the ones who broke the story of Zachary Hammond on Twitter. It’s sad that The Washington Post feels the need to try and tear down the Black Lives Matter Movement.
Police reports and the autopsy said that Hammond was driving toward the officer when the officer shot him, but Hammond’s family had a private autopsy done. Bland said the autopsy showed that Hammond’s wounds indicate the vehicle was not moving, and that the teen was shot on the rear of his shoulder and on the side of his chest.
We will keep you updated on Hammond’s case. No unarmed person should ever die at the hands of police.