‘Only good cracker is a dead cracker’: Karmelo Anthony protests spark riot fears

Last week, a jury was seated in the Karmelo Anthony murder trial in Collin County, Texas. Despite a Batson challenge from the defense, no black jurors were selected.

Anthony was charged with first-degree murder in April 2025 when he allegedly stabbed 17-year-old high school student Austin Metcalf in the chest after a verbal confrontation. Anthony pleaded not guilty to the charges, claiming he acted in self defense, despite the victim being unarmed.

BlazeTV host Jason Whitlock was “overjoyed” when he heard the news that all prospective black jurors were struck, believing that true justice is only possible if black bias is not a factor.

But now that the trial is underway, there’s a new concern that’s making some Texans worried: What if a guilty verdict sparks mass riots?

Former Infowars host turned independent media entrepreneur Owen Shroyer, who lives in Austin, Texas, is one of those cautionary voices.

On June 4, he tweeted:

But Whitlock disagrees.

“I think all the emotion around this trial, the support of Karmelo Anthony, I think it's all bought and paid for and fake,” he counters. “I don't think there are real people in support of Karmelo Anthony.”

While Shroyer agrees that a guilty verdict is unlikely to culminate in “Black Lives Matter-style riots,” he does believe there will be consequences at the “local” level.

“Based off of what I saw outside of that courtroom, I do believe there is going to be a local community ... issue,” he says. “I don't know if it'll get to the level of Ferguson with buildings on fire, but I do anticipate there'll be some stress and strife if Karmelo Anthony gets a long sentence.”

Supporters of Karmelo Anthony have gathered daily outside the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney, Texas, wearing matching “We Declare He Will Walk Free” T-shirts and chanting slogans like, “Self-defense is not a crime,” while protesting the lack of black jurors. One protester has gone viral for repeatedly shouting, “The only good cracker is a dead cracker!” directly in front of police officers.

“Once you get a group like that that truly believes that they're fighting racism, and that's a cause that they're going to get out in the streets for, sometimes these things can tend to grow and get some gravity,” says Shroyer.

But Whitlock has sources in the Frisco area who have led him to believe that much of the hype is manufactured.

“I know a few people in Frisco, Texas. I spent some time a year ago talking to a woman whose daughter went to high school with Karmelo Anthony. I just think the people on the ground know like Karmelo Anthony was a troublemaker, and this story is BS,” he says.

Shroyer, however, believes our highly racialized time has produced people who “are not logical” and “don't care about the facts.”

He recounts how during the Michael Brown trial in 2014, Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder, a black man, concluded that Brown never said, “Hands up, don’t shoot.” But despite this verdict and copious forensic evidence and credible witnesses supporting Officer Darren Wilson’s account, protesters “didn’t change their minds” and even continued to protest.

“These people, unfortunately, they're very emotional-based,” says Shroyer.

To hear more, watch the episode above.

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