The white kids who were killed in this crime probably let their guard down because they weren't expecting something like this. It's similar to the Wichita atrocity, or the college girl who was killed a couple of weeks ago in Chapel Hill. People are more on the lookout for these things in places like Memphis or St. Louis. The relative calm of a place like Knoxville can lull you into a false sense of security.
Interesting that you refer to the Wichita incident as an atrocity. I had been using that term to refer to this Knoxville case but then I read the earlier stories about dismemberment were not true, or were made up by some hate mongers. But now the news articles refer to ‘torture,’ and say the young man’s body was set on fire. If this is not atrocious and sadistic, I don’t know what is.
Of course you are right in your # 18 post about PC and why few are willing to talk bluntly about this case. My criticism was aimed at the media for saying only hate groups were complaining. We here on FR are complaining and enraged but not because of any extremism.