Death on the Fourth of July: The Story of a Killing, a Trial, and Hate Crime in America

by David Neiwert

On July 4, 2000, three young Asian American men visiting the small town of Ocean Shores, Washington, were attacked by a group of skinheads in the parking lot of a Texaco station. Threats and slurs gave way to violence and, ultimately, a fatal stabbing. But this tragedy culminated with a twist. A young white man, flaunting a Confederate flag just moments before, was slain by one of his would-be victims. In the ensuing murder trial, a harsh lesson on what it really means to be an American unfolded, exposing the layers of distrust between minorities and whites in rural America and revealing the dirty little secret that haunts many small towns: hate crime. In Death on the Fourth of July , veteran journalist David Neiwert explores the hard questions about hate crimes that few are willing to engage. He shares the stories behind the Ocean Shores case through first-hand interviews, and weaves them through an expert examination of the myths, legal issues, and history surrounding these controversial crimes. Death on the Fourth of July provides the most clear-headed and rational thinking on this loaded issue yet published, all within the context of one compelling real-life tragedy.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Race

256 pages, Paperback

First published July 16, 2004

Reviews

[JulieK · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is nominally about a racist attack on an Asian American in Ocean Shores that resulted in a self-defense killing. However, less than half the book is actually about the incident; the rest covers the history of hate crimes legislation, recounts instances of lynchings and gay bashings, and analyzes how bias crimes laws are and aren't enforced. I was most interested in the Ocean Shores story so skimmed a lot of the rest.

[Armando · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt the addition of the history of hate crimes and legislation intended to curb them, took away attention from the actual incident at Ocean Shores.

Otherwise, it would have been a very good book.

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neiwert is one of our most insightful analysts of ring-wing movement in America, and this book is an excellent follow up to his In God's Country about the so-called "Patriot Movement" in the pacific northwest. Again, his topic is hard-right political ideology and its connection to a violent incident.

In a bit of a twist, Death on the Fourth of July tells the story of a group of racist hoodlums who harass and terrorize three Asian American visitors in a small town in Washington state. The story plays out unexpectedly when one of the harassed young men defends himself by stabbing and killing the skinhead who is assaulting them. The trial at the book's center is concerned with whether the self-defense argument will hold up in front of an all white, small town jury.

The courtroom scenes are pretty gripping reading, though they actually make up less than half the book's content. There are multiple chapters devoted to the history of "hate crimes" (or bias crimes, as Neiwert believes is a more accurate term) legislation, the theory behind such laws, and the steps he believes are needed to see these laws effectively enforced.

The analysis is cogent and convincing, though the reason I deducted a star from the overall rating is that it is somewhat repetitive in a few areas. This isn't exactly fair to Neiwert, but it probably bears noting that if you have spent a lot of time reading Neiwert's blog Orcinus, as I did back in the 2003-2004 era, you will already have encountered a lot of the hates crimes-related ideas from that source. It was in fact when I was reading his blog back in those days that he persuaded me that my vaguely formed opposition to hate crimes laws because of first amendment concerns was off-base. Neiwert turned me into a full-fledged supporter of these laws. His debunking of anti-hate crimes laws talking points is thorough.

Neiwert remains criminally underappreciated. He is fair to all the subjects of his books, even when it would be easy to lambaste them. (He doesn't make the threatening, Confederate flag-waving Chris Kinison into a monster, even though it seems quite clear that he was something very close to that.) He also advances a thoughtful and principled outlook about how to respond to hateful and racist rhetoric and actions, and how to stand up for the most vulnerable members of our communities.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this for its willingness to place the story in the context of bigotry and hate throughout the country. It's so sad that individuals end up in these situations simply for the thrill the perpetrator gets from being a bully. A very good story, well written.

[Aiden Meints · Rating 2 out of 5]

eh

[R.J. Gilmour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neiwert's book follows the trial of a young Seattle Vietnamese man accused of murdering a young white man who had taunted him with racial slurs in a small Washington seaside town. Neiwert is a journalist who followed the trial and he uses the events leading up to the trial and the trial itself to frame the question of hate crimes in America. The death of a local boy who was viewed by his own community as troubled but not racist helps readers understand how such crimes develop and are misconstrued by all involved. Hate crimes always involve accusations of racism, homophobia or anti-semitism, accusations that are difficult for some to see within their own tight knit and homogenous communities. While not a great book, Neiwert's discussion of hate crimes and how they have developed in the United States both as laws and crimes against society is fascinating. Structurally Neiwert devotes one chapter to the trial and the next to an aspect of hate crime legislation at both local, state and federal levels. He maps how hate crime legislation and policy has developed and in the process points out that a disproportinate number of hate crimes are committed against gay men and lesbian women, something that every gay male understands implicitly. He also discusses recent academic studies which point out that hate crimes are most likely to occur in homogeneous neighbourhoods undergoing social change. The happen as the community changes and the victims are those seen as 'infiltrating' or changing that community.

[Ned Stenger White · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clearly written discussion of "hate" bias crime in the history and culture of the US, told through the lens of a death & trial in Washington state, this is an important discussion of an ugly symptom of American insularity and white supremacy which still permeates our society, even as we have elected a black president.

The whole focus of this book is that the Ocean Shores death & trial are a way for us to address the issue of bias crimes as so deeply engrained in our culture, to the point that law enforcement & other local government may be unable to see the "hate" crime happening before them.

[Merwyn Haskett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Punk got what he deserved - a racist County Prosecutor went to trial with nothing but Crap for evidence out of a desperate attempt to punish the intended victim - and an isolated town where I spent my elementary school years denied the racism that was staring it in the face.

Angry, Judgmental review coming soon.

(The first officer on the scene used to be my church choir teacher.)

[Rebecca Osburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for anyone who doesn't believe that bias crimes still exist! It will make you think about the society we live in and how we want it to be. It discusses issues in Washington State specifically as well as issues from all over America. Read this book to educate yourself to be a better citizen!

[MaryAlice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do not remember this book, that I made note of on a Blogger Blog Post from 2008.

When I joined Goodreads, I was adding books that read, from the Long Beach Public Library that kept a running list of them. I guess I did not know how to add dates at that time.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the most uplifting topic to read before bedtime but Neiwert certainly covers his bases on all kinds of hate crime. Most importantly he works to properly communicate what bias crime is and why that understanding is important for entire communities, not just minorities.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author alternates chapters between those about the event in Ocean Shores and those about bias crime legislation. Although the entire book was very interesting, it bogs down in some of the longer chapters about legislation. Still, it is certainly worth reading. I learned a lot.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gut-wrenching and disturbing, this book will powerfully affect the reader.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting incident, thought the author rambles away from topic more than my liking,

[Fishface · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting look, not only at a single hate-crime case that ended in a killing, but the whole scope of hate crimes in the USA. Includes some very gruesome case histories.