I never imagined that I would ever know someone who could be capable of murdering someone. But, unfortunately, as I found out this morning, I do.
I knew Adrian Barker in 5th grade and was very much fascinated by and envious of him. I remember Adrian being the kid with all the skills: he was good at math, he was good at soccer, lacrosse, tennis…Adrian’s OSU windbreaker totally inspired my love for Ohio State. I was a frizzy-haired runt who was 100% awkward and 100% aware of it and did not show that I cared about what people thought of me. But damn it if I could ever fathom beating someone to death.
Chris Kernich
I found out what happened via Facebook (strangely enough) from someone who had been in the same 5th grade class with Adrian and I. Adrian Barker and Ronald Kelly-Nunn (the name sounds vaguely familiar, but I would’ve definitely remembered if I’d met him) beat a guy, Chris Kernich, to death. There are more than just whispers about this being racially motivated because Chris was white and Adrian and Ron (I think people called him Ron, I’m not sure.) are black. And of course there’s a split on the racial fence–whites say the attack was animalistic and completely unprovoked while blacks allude to some kind of racial provocation on the hands of Kernich. And while I personally believe, that no attack like this goes unprovoked, I don’t care if Chris Kernich tossed out every racial slur in the book, threw on a white sheet and conical hat, and slapped Adrian and Ron across the face–they had no excuse, none, to even lay a finger on him, no less beat the life out of him. I cannot and will not feel sympathy for anyone who kills someone else, despite the provocation.
However, there are parts of the story of Chris, Adrian and Ron that disturb me, and that is the incredibly sloppy, disgusting, biased journalism that has given life to this tragedy:
- Adrian Barker and Ron Kelly-Nunn are not from Akron, Ohio. I have never been to Akron, so how would I know them at all? Because these two grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio– the hometown of Paul Newman and Molly Shannon. The same place where the public school system fares better than some private school systems in the country. Because the reader is lead to believe that these two are from Akron (predominately black and predominately poor), that Adrian and Ron grew up underpriviledged and angry. As graduates of Shaker Heights High School, these two did not grow up “poor” or “without the same opportunities as Chris.” In fact, I’d go as far as to say that they most likely grew up in a better situation with better opportunities than Chris. These two were attending college in Akron (might I reiterate, attending college). So they weren’t the wasteful black men that we see portrayed often (and unfortunately, more often than not, is reality).
- There is an intense focus on the victim. I am very saddened by his death, it shouldn’t have happened.But, we don’t need to personalize Chris Kernich’s story any more. I feel sympathy for this kid and his family just because he was beaten, and the fact that he died increases my sympathy three-fold. I don’t really care if he was a star athlete or what he planned to do Sunday via Twitter, or what his Facebook page says. If you’re going to get that personal in an attempt to drudge up sympathy for this young man (and trust me, anyone with a heart can sympathize with this poor kid), you might as well do it for the people who did this, because even though they’ve committed a heinous and unforgivable crime, they are still people.
- Since Adrian and Ron were the perpetrators of the crime, the details about them (besides their hometown) seemed to be slopped together and poorly researched. I’ve seen their ages transposed, some articles leave the Nunn out of Ron’s name altogether, and one article calls Ron, “Gene”. Gene Kelly was a dancer, Ron is not. The facts about Chris remain the same, he was 23 years old from Fairborn.
- Some stories have mentioned that the beating took place near a frat house. No one has mentioned that there could be alcohol involved with this story? Not saying that is an excuse in anyway, but you would mention if a driver hit someone and killed them if they were drunk, would you not?
Adrian Barker
As I learned after my nasty brush with death and the way media handled it in March, is that with online journalism and the commenting system, everyone seems to go apeshit. But I guess that’s what we, as people who knew Adrian and/or Ron to deal with since they killed someone. Going into a little race rant, but they, being black, should have known better than to touch this kid. So many people (especially since Obama’s election) think that we live in this wonderful, post-racial Utopia, but I don’t understand where the hell that comes from. There are too many implications that all black people are loud, rude, users, lazy, and most of all violent, despite how much it may not be based in truth. And despite their backgrounds, no one would know that about these two. I know people seem shocked with my lack of “hoodness.” So why on earth would you perpetuate the stereotype?
On the other side, why do we have so many whites relying on the stereotype? These two aren’t “urban urchins” or “ghetto dwellers” that have an animalistic need to maim and kill. It’s mostly out of fear, a VAST majority of crime committed by blacks are against other blacks. Rarely do black people commitcrimes against, especially kill, whites because they know the punishment is extremely hefty. (There is a scene in the movie Crash about this).
Ronald Kelly-Nunn
If you are white and you think that I’m wrong, ask yourself: have you or anyone you know ever been severely injured or murdered (well, clearly, you can’t be murdered if you’re reading this)? Was the perpetrator black? It is a disgusting paranoia and fear that some people must let go.
This is so far and away different the future I could have imagined for Adrian. Now he’s most likely going to spend the rest of his life in prison, and he deserves every second of it. To all that know Adrian and Ron as wonderful people with bright futures, we must let this go. They have taken the lives of someone else and that is simply unforgivable. There is no need for denial or anger. Saying that there are two sides to this story is bargaining that won’t do us any good. Do not be depressed, let’s accept what they have done (Thank you Dr. Kubler-Ross). It’s unfortunate that their lives are thrown away, but that isn’t at the fault of their friends or families. Choices are individual, and I’m sorry that this had to happen.
I too have known Adrian for a long time. It’s true, regardless to whether it was provoked or not, Chris is dead. I feel for Chris’s family as well as Adrian, Ron and their families. My biggest problem is the media’s portrayal of Adrian. I watched the Fox 8 coverage when the incident first happened. They made Adrian and Ron sound like stereotypical overly aggressive black males that visciously attacked and beat a young white student who was innocently walking. The story played on Fox 8 was sloppily put together, the details of the story did not add up and the coverage is disgustingly bias in Chris’s favor. There is also a statement in this blog I do not agree with. “I don’t care if Chris Kernich tossed out every racial slur in the book, threw on a white sheet and conical hat, and slapped Adrian and Ron across the face–they had no excuse, none, to even lay a finger on him, no less beat the life out of him.” How do you expect any African American to act? You’re said even if a racist puts his hands on two young black guys, the black guys have no right to react? Do you expect black people to just take it? Point is, they are going to serve time for his death, but the rest of the details of the entire story, not just Chris’s side, need to be figured out and brought forward because maybe Chris wasn’t as innocent as he has been portrayed. Maybe this story has more history than that one random night of the fight. Knowing Adrian very well and knowing Ron well enough, the motive that has been given in the media does not seem to be enough of a motive for these two gentlemen to react so harshly.
I totally understand where you’re coming from. I don’t think that this incident came without any provocation, and one of the few things that would get black men riled up enough to do this would be a racist tirade.
I can’t say that I wouldn’t be tempted to try to physically hurt someone who tossed a racial slur at me, but I know better than to not to do anything. Like, popping them one isn’t going to suddenly knock sense into their heads. I was always taught to walk away with your fists shaking.
I think it’s especially important because though they shouldn’t have to, these two serve (as well as any individual black man) as representatives for black men everywhere when they are in a predominately white environment (particularly, a university). The burden SHOULD NOT have to be on their backs, but the unfortunately reality is that it is, and beating up a guy doesn’t bode well. You know as well as I, that there very well be an even greater surge of “why are black men so violent/angry” stories in Ohio media. If Chris hadn’t died, it still would’ve been ugly for black men attending college in Ohio forced under another stereotype because of a news story.
However, Self-defense is quite another story. My scope on the story is limited (I’ve been out of Ohio for a good 7 or 8 years now), so I am not getting all of the proper and up-to-date coverage on this, but I’m assuming that no new have details surfaced. I do believe that there is more on Chris’ part that should be investigated, but who knows if that will be handled properly (especially now he’s gone). On the other side of a coin, there is a very big difference between fending off a large guy who is harming you and beating him to his death.
I knew Adrian when he was a kid, and he always seemed well adjusted and growing up in Shaker Heights and attending university doesn’t usually beget sudden maladjustment , so I am inclined to believe those who say that this was not in his nature, but as it stands, it looks like the blood is on hands.
I hope more comes out on this story. My thoughts are with you and [hopefully] everything will come to light.
This entire thing has nothing to do with race. I know both of them. I’m white. Ron was in my SGORR (Student Group on Race Relations) group in high school. We played games with little kids that were used to teach moral lessons on tolerance. This was drunken rage. This is a tragedy.
There is a possibility that the altercation had nothing to do with race at all. I remember the SGORR groups coming to do exercises with us when I was in elementary school long, LONG ago. I don’t believe that Adrian and Ron beat Chris because he’s white. That’s absurd. And I totally agree that there was alcohol involved. But speaking as a minority, there are VERY few things that would push someone so far to beat up someone like that (even when drunk) and a racial slur is one of them for sure. But the lack of details about the whole situation leaves the real reason up in the air.
And when this story appears in blogs like, “Why Blacks Suck” and message boards calling this “a hate crime” and “prime example of negro aggression” when you are trying to look for the facts of this story, I felt like I had to react. And those comments have everything to do with race.
Sorry, racial epitaphs are never an excuse for KILLING SOMEONE. and the attempts by on this blog to excuse stomping someone to death are disgusting.
I’m confused by your post. You hint that Kernich did provoke the assault.
Where’s your evidence?
I knew chris since i was a kid. The man had more black friends than white. there was no reason for this attack to happen. Everyone even said that Chris probably had no thoughts of being attacked. They said that he was walking as he was hit in the BACK of the head, then stomped on, kicked, and punched in the back of the head, as his lifeless body lay there. Drunken or not, these two deserve everything they got. Chris was a very happy go lucky man, who loved life and everyone in it. May he rest in peace. THese two deserve to fry, no offense to people who knew them and no race involved. they could have been 2 whites or mexicans, regardless they deserve to fry. NO one deserves a beating like this. NO ONE
and they said that adrian and ron had been kicked out of a frat party a few minutes before the attack due to causing a fight there. This could be the reason for aggression. Think about it.
There is not much to be states about this incident. We can make all the assumption we want and we can say ” i knew him” instances, but the fact is, we were not there and those who are considered “witnesses” were not there the whole time either. I am completely against killing and i believe someone needs to pay for this terrible crime, but i hope people are not going to believe everything they hear from the media. This is not fair on either side of the story. My sympathies goes out to every family member and friend that is feeling a loss right now and my prayers are with you all.