If Obama Had a Son, Might He Look Like Antonio Santiago? (Open Thread)

© Miri WTPOTUS March 24, 2013

I wonder:  Will Michelle Obama be “heartbroken” over the death of little Antonio Santiago?  Will she attend little Antonio’s funeral with Valerie Jarrett, as she did for Hadiya Pendleton?  Will she sit next to Antonio’s mother, comforting her with her presence?  Will her husband, Barack Obama, speak out about this “tragedy?”  

Antonio Santiago.

Will he say something like this to the world?

If I had a son, he’d look like [Antonio].  I think [Antonio's parents] are right to expect that all of us as Americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves, and we are going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened. …

I can only imagine what these parents are going through, and when I think about this [infant], I think about my own kids, and I think every parent in America should be able to understand why it is absolutely imperative that we investigate every aspect of this, and that everybody pulls together — federal, state and local — to figure out exactly how this tragedy happened. …

I think all of us have to do some soul searching to figure out how does something like this happen. And that means we examine the laws and the context for what happened, as well as the specifics of the incident.

The above paraphrases what Obama said after the death of Trayvon Martin, at the hands of a man who shot Martin in self defense.  Will Obama say anything at all about the horrific death of little Antonio Santiago?  Will he call Antonio’s family, extending his personal sympathy?

As the Obamas did for Hadiya Pendleton, will they write a letter like this to Antonio’s family?

Michelle and I just wanted you to know how heartbroken we are to have heard about [Antonio's] passing. We know that no words from us can soothe the pain, but rest assured that we are praying for you, and that we will continue to work as hard as we can to end this senseless violence. God Bless.

In case you don’t know, little Antonio Santiago was murdered in cold blood, allegedly by two teen-aged thugs while they were robbing Antonio’s mother at gunpoint: [emphasis added]

Georgia police Friday charged two teens with murder a day after a 13-month-old boy was shot dead in his stroller and his mother wounded during a holdup.

Seventeen-year-old De’Marquise Kareem Elkins, the suspected gunman, was charged as an adult with first-degree murder, said Brunswick Police Chief Tobe Green. A 14-year-old companion was also charged with murder but was not identified because he is a juvenile. They were arrested early Friday.

Sherry West said she and her 13-month-old son, Antonio Santiago, were on a walk about 9 a.m. Thursday when they were approached by two young men. The older teen brandished a handgun and demanded money.

After telling him she didn’t have any money, the gunman then asked, “Do you want me to kill your baby?” West told the Associated Press.

West said he fired the first shot into the ground, then shot her in the left ear and upper left leg. The gunman then walked around the stroller and shot her child once in the face, killing him instantly.

Antonio Santiago, only 13 months old when his life was brutally taken, was the most innocent of innocents.  His life was callously snuffed out by a thug with what is likely an illegal gun, in the course of another illegal act–armed robbery–early in the morning, when both of the suspects ought to have been in school.

It should not matter that the alleged shooter is black and the victims are not.  Antonio’s mother is white; his father, Luis Santiago, is likely hispanic, although that’s not specifically reported in the stories referenced here.  The unnamed juvenile suspect is reported to be black, as well.

It should not matter what race the alleged suspects are, but unfortunately it does matter.  A senseless crime like this should outrage all of us equally, but unfortunately …

The race of the perpetrator and the race of the victim matter because, as exemplified by our First Couple, reactions are too often selective and discriminating.

Empathy offered or completely absent …

Heartfelt condolences expressed or silence …

This cold-blooded, horrific murder took place two and a half days ago.  So far, there’s been “no comment” that I can find coming from either of the Obamas.

What remains to be seen is whether or not the usual race-baiting suspects like Al Sharpton will come to the defense of the alleged murderers, crying out that they’ve been railroaded during a “rush to judgment” by racists cops and a white woman who misidentified an innocent “child”.

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Open Thread.