Knowing when and how to weaponize whiteness against nonwhite people is part of the socialization into white society. That's why white society should not be given a pass w/ feigning ignorance of racism. These public death rituals are about soothing white angst over the color line.

The public death spectacles always come on the heels of other political or economic tensions and serve to re-establish that the state is maintaining the color line through a demonstration of police force.

The rest of the ritual is about people indulging in their racist imaginings to whatever extent needed to normalize this display of violence.