Racial Divide and Mystery: Eric McKinnis' Unresolved Death

Alex Kotlowitz’s gut-wrenching, non-fiction work entitled The Other Side of the River: A story of two towns, a death and America’s Dilemma focuses on the aftermath of one tragic circumstance: Eric McKinnis’ death. On May 22, 1991, the body of a battered teenage boy was found in the river that separates Benton Harbor and St. Joseph. It was no secret that these two towns previously had a wedge between them in regards to racial segregation; Benton Harbor was a poor city that consisted of 92% African-Americans, while St. Joseph’s make-up was 95% Caucasian -- predominately wealthy. St. Joseph was not a place known for murder, although what really shook these polar opposite communities was that Eric’s brutal death turned into a cold case --

This conclusion became the great debate for those working Eric’s case, for some strongly believed that his death was accidental while others declared his death was intentional and horrific. Rumors began to fly in reference to Eric’s untimely death, thus creating a scenario where each side of the river blamed the other. Benton Harbor residents viewed this as an “act of racism” due to the nature of his death, as well as the authorities just “sitting” on the case (Kotlowitz 65). Eric’s friends and family grew outraged as time went on and their questions remained unanswered. Eric’s mother, Ruth, wanted answers: reasonable answers. Eric’s friends wanted revenge, for they viewed “the neighbors across the way were the enemy” (Kotlowitz 40). The longer that Eric’s case remained unsolved and untouched, his classmates began to wreak havoc upon St. Joseph’s white population; in return, the white population stood their ground and a war was waged. Over a year after Eric’s death, more questions were asked than answered, resulting in the masses believing that the police “[were] covering something up” (Kotlowitz 188). The world pondered whether Eric died because he: was black, dated white girls, was a prankster always joking around and pushing people’s buttons, or was simply just in the wrong place at the wrong