- A man convicted at a Hawaii court on Monday for his role in a road rage stabbing attack wore blackface to court to protest that the system treated him "like a black man."
Mark Char, an Oahu, Hawaii resident, was found guilty in March of 3 counts of attempted murder after he stabbed three people in 2016, a driver, a passenger, and an uninvolved third-party driver in what appeared to be a road rage-induced attack.
KGMB-TV reported that one of the victims was stabbed 5 times and was hospitalized in critical condition after the stabbing.
Char was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole on Monday.
“Now this kangaroo court is giving me a life sentence for me trying to protect and defend myself against the attack from three guys, in essence treating me like a black man,” said Char shortly before he was sentenced, which was recorded by KGMB-TV. He is not black.
“I prepared myself to play my part in your kangaroo court — treating me like a black man, so today I’m going to be a black man.”
Mr. Char who reportedly used a black permanent marker to give himself blackface requested the court to put a stay on his sentencing pending his appeals, but Judge Todd W. Eddins denied his request to stay sentencing.
“If you look in the mirror, Mr. Char, you’re not gonna see a black person,” said Judge Todd Eddins in his sentencing, KITV reported. “You’re gonna see a menace. You’re gonna see a menace to society.”
“This continues a pattern of disruptive behavior designed to undermine the administration of justice,” Eddins said, before sentencing Char to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
