Oppression and Privilege

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The foreperson of the jury that convicted a teenager in a fiery attack on a middle school classmate told a judge Friday she was subjected to racial harassment during deliberations that she described as chaotic and confrontational.

The other five jurors, also interviewed Friday by Circuit Judge Matthew Destry, said they didn't recall intense racial animosity but most agreed some racial issues flared in the case. The teenager who was set on fire, Michael Brewer, is white; the one convicted of aggravated battery in June, Matthew Bent, is black.