Icheoku says the church murderer of Charleston, Dylann Roof, is himself equally a victim of a society of hate that has fostered racism and for so long. This young man was not born hating anyone; neither was he born at the time slavery was the vogue nor the height of racial struggle in America, but he learnt from someone, someone taught him to hate including the greater American society that has found it increasingly difficult to totally shade itself of its racism vestiges in order for a more wholesome society to emerge and thrive.
But when a twenty one year old, born when Bill Clinton was president, grows up knowing about we and them; and that we are the supremacists and they are the subservients of the society; or Senator John McCain calling then candidate Obama "THAT ONE", then something inherently was wrong. Icheoku says that in as much as everyone including the worst racists of America themselves are now, because of what is popular and for political correctness, hounding Dylann Roof and calling for his head on a platter, a more solution-driven approach should be employed in dealing with him. Dylann Roof too is also a victim of racism because if he was not born in a society of hate that hates and divides its citizens and tiers everyone according to the color of their skin, Dylann Roof, would not have learnt to hate anybody neither would he have taken such heinous step geared at provoking war of superiority among Americans. Something drove this young man over the edge and into committing the most heinous crime of murder, the murders of nine bible studying Americans who happened to be blacks, right inside their black church. Why should there be black and white churches in America, one may ask if this is not racism per se?
Icheoku asks who taught Dylann Roof how to hate and from where did he learn to treat black people as beneath white people? At merely twenty one years old, he is barely old enough to know the early years of America and all the thorny road traveled through racial discrimination, which unfortunately still continues till today. He definitely learnt it from somewhere and this "somewhere" is the thing that America needs to start addressing. The general racist tendencies of the society is what needs an extreme makeover and do-over in order to change the mindset that thinks that some humans are superior to some other humans simply because of their skin colors. This thinking and disparate treatment of people whose skin pigmentation is not white is what needs to change? This is what will solve racial discrimination and its enveloping tension in America and in actuality put a stop to this type of race-tinged mass murders in the future.
Like Jesus asked the mob, Icheoku says any American who is without any iota of racism in him or her, should sit in judgment over Dylann Roof; but unfortunately, not many will qualify. So being that the American society maintains this prejudiced views against people, particularly against people of different skin color and has somewhat contributed to the making of Dylann Roof, is America culpable and should America be held responsible for its product's actions. Therefore, Dylann Roof should be treated for what he is, a victim of racism too; and given the help he needs. Admitted, his crime deserves the worst punishment that could be meted to any such criminal, but would a death sentence and his eventual execution cure the malaise that is racism in America. Americans, Icheoku says, you decide.
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