This has been a tragedy, a situation where someone has done terrible, unforgivable things for “all the right reasons,” driven to a rage by a system so corrupt and rotten to the core that people like me who hate violence and hate even acting out in anger are finding ourselves begrudgingly on his side, in a weird way. I would never believe someone is a hero who would murder, kidnap, and terrorize the innocent, but I also believe that from the sections of Christopher Dorner’s manifesto I’ve read, this is a bright person who once had a firm sense of justice, whose mental illness was exacerbated by an intolerable situation. No one deserves to die here, not even him, and it breaks my heart that this is how things are ending–smoke bombs, explosions, firefighting, and a cabin up in flames, with Dorner inside of it.
Per Dorner’s manifesto, he’s a lover of music, and believes “Dave Brubeck’s ‘Take Five’ is the greatest piece of music ever, period.” Chris, this one’s for you.