Racial VigilantismMedia SensationalismWhite Fear
Feb 16, 2026Roland Martin, Elliot Williams on Bernie Goetz. “Five Bullets” & a Nation Divided | #RolandsBookClub
The 1984 Bernie Goetz subway shooting, where a white man shot four Black teenagers, is dissected as a pivotal moment revealing America's deep-seated racial vigilantism, media sensationalism, and the enduring weaponization of 'white fear' in public safety narratives.