Murdered Children -- Susan Smith's Family Owes Blacks No Apologies

Being the father of three young children, I was stunned when they found the children of David and Susan Smith and her subsequent confession of murder. All at the same time I felt sorrow and grief for the children, anger and confusion toward their mother and utter distress for the father.

Also, being an African-American I've been disturbed over the extensive media coverage concerning the black community's request for an apology from Susan Smith's family. I would like to come to the defense of most blacks I know, including myself, who feel the media are misrepresenting our true feelings here.

We know if any injustices were committed against blacks after Susan Smith's accusations, most likely they were committed by the various law-enforcement agencies handling the case and the insistence for an apology would be directed toward them and only after a respectful and heartfelt "moment of silence" for the children, the father and the obviously "sick" mother whose mind, incidentally, was probably a little distorted at the time. She made the story of a "black man in a stocking cap" believable, realizing that people would remember the recent car-jacking in Maryland where two black youths dragged a woman to her death and flung her baby out the back window while speeding away.

I know the law-enforcement agencies investigating the kidnapping were remembering that incident. We know it was a time of conflicting emotions for them as well as the rest of America. In the ongoing saga of how we are going to treat one another, let us try to remember times and circumstances to momentarily put our differences aside and mourn for victims. Something far worse than a slur, insult or injustice has been committed and if racism could have been the only crime attributed to this incident then rejoicing would be in order because the children would still be alive.

The death of the children and the way they died - betrayed by their "best friend" - erased all my anger. Susan Smith's family owes blacks no apologies, thank you. Thomas E. Smith Seattle