Given that I remain a denizen of a rural community in Alaska, I'm an odd one indeed to be writing about the state of America's urban areas and Democrat/leftist jurisdictions. If you've been reading my work at all, you know I grew up in a rural setting in Iowa and am a content rural dweller myself now. I have little time for cities, despite having lived in them for four decades. I find them unpleasant; crowded, noisy, and, to be honest, they smell bad. I like the clean country air of the Susitna Valley, and if that means I have to put up with the occasional bear wandering around the neighborhood, that's fine.
With that being true, why am I still worried about America's cities? Because our cities are the beating hearts of our nation. Much of the country's economic activity happens there. Urban areas host much of the country's industry and academia. What's more, our cities used to be the pride of the nation, but that's less the case now. Case in point: Colin County, Texas, in the northern part of the Dallas/Ft. Worth metropolitan area, where the widely publicized trial of Karmelo Anthony, accused of the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf, has concluded with a conviction. Anthony was sentenced to a 35-year term. The trial was conducted as these things are: In accordance to Texas state law and the Constitution.
But none of that matters to the crowd outside the courthouse. Watch:
🚨 NOW: BLACK PANTHERS are attempting to launch a RACE WAR outside the Collin County Courthouse after Karmelo Anthony was found GUILTY
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) June 9, 2026
“We got to tell our kids the truth that this is a RACIST-ASS COUNTRY We gotta tell them the truth.”
“THIS IS A WAR”
“Don't NOBODY want to hear… pic.twitter.com/MoCQSQRQlE
“SAY HIS NAME, KARMELO!”
— GRANDPA’s FREE ADVICE (@GOP_is_Gutless) June 9, 2026
Moments after Karmelo Anthony was found GUILTY of murdering 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, his supporters are openly chanting for the world to “say his name” and demanding he walk free — completely rejecting the jury’s verdict, the evidence, the witnesses,… pic.twitter.com/YbYxduMX1g
Karmelo Anthony supporter: "What do I tell my 5 boys? What do we do now!?"
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) June 9, 2026
Uh… don't murder? pic.twitter.com/DGrnCbhhe6
As for that last one, I might echo the sentiments of the poster: Tell your 5 boys not to commit murder. Use the Karmelo Anthony case as an object lesson, not a reason for outrage.
Look, these protests have nothing to do with justice. They have nothing to do with Karmelo Anthony receiving a fair trial by jury - he did. They have nothing to do with the sentence, which, if anything, was a bit on the short side for the crime. Nothing but an outright acquittal followed by a pat on the back, an apology, and a welcoming crowd on the courthouse steps would have appeased this mob. The facts of the case don't matter. Austin Metcalf's death doesn't matter. Not to these people. There is no statement of principle here. They claim to be calling for justice, but justice has already been done. They just didn't like the way it turned out.
Principals, not principles. And watch those videos again: Several of the shouters are calling for a civil war. It's a purely emotional - actually, hysterical response to the verdict and sentence, and these people have no idea whatsoever how brutally short such a conflict would be, and how badly they would lose.
See our previous coverage of the verdict and sentence:
Breaking: Karmelo Anthony Verdict Is In — Texas on Edge
Could Convicted Murderer Karmelo Anthony Get Off Easy? Jury Contemplates 'Sudden Passion' Defense
Karmelo Anthony Learns His Fate As Jury Swiftly Completes Sentencing Phase
This isn't a new thing, sadly. We remember the Rodney King riots in 1992, and of course the infamous 2020 "Summer of Love" riots, in which people were killed and billions in property were lost to arson, looting, and vandalism. This midterm election year may well see more of the same, with the political left's Trump Derangement Syndrome now in Stage V.
In fact, it's a minor miracle that the streets didn't explode when President Trump won his second term in 2024.
In this case, the protests, unhinged as they were, were shut down pretty quickly. As of this writing, it appears that the parking lot where most of the protesters were ensconced was ordered cleared, and this being Texas, it was cleared; Texas cops have the well-deserved reputation for not messing around. But in New York? Los Angeles? Portland? Minneapolis? The civil authorities may well join the rioters.
Our justice system doesn't always work perfectly. But in the case of Karmelo Anthony, the evidence indicates that it worked pretty doggone well. Anthony was convicted by a jury of his peers. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison. Everything was done in accordance with Texas law and the Constitution. None of the critics, none of the protestors, care about any of that. And that's a trend that's well beyond disturbing; it's horrifying. These unhinged protestors are calling for violence, not because the justice system failed, but because it succeeded.
