I think we know how this goes by now. In a perfect social situation, the man shouldn't have hit the officer, regardless of whether or not he knew he was facing an off-duty officer. But the reality is that people are sick to their stomachs of being racially degraded, especially in public.

We see cops with racial prejudices running wilder than they have in years, holding citizens up on minor or made-up offenses, and either verbally or physically assulting them, with the citizens often having no real legal recourse. The man's actions weren't "right", but surely we can say they were understandable, perhaps even relatable in terms of the pain and anger he felt.

i'm not saying violence is the answer, but i mean he had it coming. lol