Words of death used to be what we called "fightin' words"

Nowadays it is not uncommon for verbal disputes to end up with a deadly or near fatal result. Here is what happened in Seattle as columnist Robert L. Jamieson Jr. pens his article, "Another dead black kid -- still no justice":

"A recap. On Aug. 31, 2006, about 10 p.m., Johnson, his male friend and a woman -- all white -- were in the parking lot of the Ventana Apartments. A group of three blacks -- two men and a woman -- thought one of the white men yelled a racial slur.

This touched off a volley of words. Before fists flew, Drungo, who authorities say had no part in the initial dispute, approached the shouters. This was his nature. He liked to see people get along, as I learned when I wrote about him after his death, a death that initially elicited little more than a public shrug.

Drungo planned to go into law. He was a model product of a Seattle YMCA program for young people. He was beloved by parents at a Shoreline elementary school where he worked. In Seattle he also was known for being book smart, a peacemaker. His nickname: "Knowledge."" READ MORE...