I think that the root cause for Michael Westerman's death is a misinterpretation of a popular cultural symbol. The black teenagers who saw Westerman's truck adorned with the confederate flag, felt threatened by the flag and determined that violence was the necessary course of action. Without any knowledge of the true origin of the Confederate flag, the teenagers automatically associated the message of the flag with ideas of hatred and bigotry.
"'Let's go whip that dude,' he told his friends, speeding off to recruit others for the brawl."
This quote shows that the teenagers were mostly motivated by peer pressure. Since it was the drivers idea, the remaining passengers were stuck in the car with him, making backing-out not an option.
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