By now you may be aware of news involving the stabbing of Christian “Toby” Obumseli and the growing media attention amid the lack of charges filed.
On April 3 he was allegedly stabbed at the hands of his girlfriend of two years, OnlyFans Model Courtney Clenney, inside a Miami condominium just a week before his 28th birthday.
In a police statement, law enforcement said that the preliminary investigation determined that Obumseli and Clenney were involved in a physical altercation and referred to the attack as a “domestic violence incident.”
Clenney’s attorney, Frank Pieto, said she had not been charged with his death and was a victim of domestic violence, and was acting in self-defense.
While she was detained at the police station following the stabbing police said she threatened to kill herself. The threat led to a mental health evaluation causing her to be “Baker Acted.”
Obumseli’s family did not agree and continues to speak out against her white privilege and demand justice for his death.
Black people, particularly Black women, have vocalized their anger after old tweets from nearly a decade ago by Obumseli resurfaced that revealed his distaste for Black women. A majority agreed that this wasn’t going to be their fight and that Obumseli deserved his fate.
Jeff Obumseli, Toby’s brother, shared a post stating that the family doesn’t agree with the statements posted by him, “however, the tweets do not diminish our demand for a thorough investigation into Toby’s murder or negate the necessity for justice.”
The negative responses, have also opened up deep tensions between between African Americans and Africans in the diaspora. Controversial American author and internet personality Tariq Nasheed said that Obumseli spent years dissing ‘Foundational Black Americans’, and implied that he has attained what he ‘wished for’ during a Twitter Space talk he hosted where Africa-Americans discussed their discomfort about having immigrants in the U.S.
The question left to many in that discussion was what does this young man’s background as a Nigerian-American have to do with his death? There are certain stereotypes and beliefs that many Africans hold against African Americans and vise versa and it has remained an open wound that hasn’t healed.
Time and time again, when we see a Black man killed by a white person, it is that same privilege that allows them to walk away free without consequence. Black women have been at the forefront of demanding justice for fallen Black men. In America unfortunately, it doesn’t matter where in the diaspora you are from, Black will always be Black.
In this case, one can argue that this brewing issue in the Black community only serves as a distraction. While Black people fight among themselves, white folk are strategizing their plan for “justice.”
What are your thoughts on the issue?
