Who is Bernard Goetz?
Bernard Goetz, after suffering a brutal beating by muggers and receiving no justice, later took the law into his own hands. Dubbed the Subway Vigilante in the press, Bernard Goetz shot four teens that he described as thugs. He said he believed they intended to attack him because they surrounded him in a threatening manner and told him to give them money. He believed he was literally in the process of being mugged. They claimed they were simply panhandling. Because the teens were black and Bernard Goetz was white, there was also racial tension associated with the case. Bernard Goetz stated that he was “offended” by the system, a system that allowed the public to be preyed upon, but then treated him as a criminal for defending himself. That the system invested so many resources to prosecute him but little to protect the public and assist victims was incomprehensible to him. Many people supported his position. Others believed him to be a racist or no better than a thug for having shot the
Brief and Straightforward Guide: Who is Bernard Goetz? … Dubbed the Subway Vigilante in the press, Bernard Goetz shot four teens that he described as thugs. … Because the teens were black and Bernard Goetz was white, there was also racial tension associated with the case. … At: www.wisegeek.com/who-is-bernard-goetz.
