I was going to wait until tomorrow for this post, but I couldn’t.
While many of us were home watching Lebron James make his decision to what team he will play for (which I thought was kind of obvious), most of us were unaware and still are about a very poor verdict on the behalf of our judicial system. Before I get into details of the case or even let you know of the decision I want you read the following piece then, close your eyes and imagine, then continue to read the rest of the post.
IMAGINE: So you’re at party with a group of friends, had a few drinks. You decide to leave the house at which your partying at to go home its getting kind of late and the old couple next door called the cops because it was noisy. So as you walk out the front door you see the officers are already there. So you decide to stop what you’re doing and begin to walk away slowly. Cops ask to speak to you, so you walk over slowly and try your best to sober up. The cops then ask you to get down on your knees and place both hands behind your head. The cops then begin to search you and your friend. They ask you to lay down on your stomach, you hear your friend mumble a few words, the cops started screaming, and your friend continues to rant for a little while longer. One of the other cops come back over to you and begins to yell back at you. Next thing you know… BANG! (Now close your eyes and picture this.)
Shots fired and your friend lies motionless on the pavement. Leaving behind friends, family, and loved ones, and now you want justice to be served. So you go to court and verdict comes and the cops gets away with murder, and is only charged with involuntary man slaughter, faces up to 4 years. Your friend was unarmed, handcuffed and everything was on video tape. But the cops is still able to walk free. How? That’s where I go blank too.
This is basically what happened except it was on New Years Eve of last year. I don’t know about you, but I find this more shocking and more worrisome then if LBJ will pick the Knicks or Heat. It’s that someone can walk away with murder like that and only face up to four year, mind you this was all caught on tape.
So what is wrong with our judicial system today? I don’t understand, the racial barriers do not even matter at this point, but I am sure this had some swaying factor in the decision, how can someone say I was just pulling out a tazer but by mistake I pulled out my gun and shot him instead, #PAUSE. A cop for however many years couldn’t tell the difference? #PAUSE
Everyone should be concerned for two reasons:
1 Cops are obviously are not getting trained properly; if they can’t tell the difference between a firearm and tazer, nor when they gun down a handcuffed man facing down on the pavement.
2. And our court system to allow this murder caught on video be let go as a “Involuntary Manslaughter”
This has really put America a few steps backwards using the words of a very good friend. I just find it weird that both things would be aired at the same time, makes you wonder. We’ll leave on that note.
Here a link so you can educate yourself on the topic : http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/07/08/subway.shooting.trial.verdict/index.html?hpt=T2
Aright meesh i'm commenting on it because i've become extremely intrigued by this story....
ReplyDeletea tazer weighs roughly 18ounces, a gun weighs approximetly 4.4lbs. Now on adrenaline, i can almost see how a tazer could feel the same as a gun. However, a gun is ALWAYS positioned on the strong hand of a cop...tazer on the other. I would like to know how a fully trained and certified cop who is deemed in some states as the "only responsible" ones to carry a firearm, can mess this up?
This is just one example of the problems of our judicial system. A cop is given special circumstances over a normal citizen. I believe he is going to get time-served as well which means he will have already served half of a year's worth of his sentence.
Cops have gone from people we can rely on to government tools who are meant to restrict people's rights and collect money. It is truly sad the way it has become however that is life and there is not much that we as individuals can do about it...
I will address the other part of the story that you did not cover...and that is the rioting in Oakland. This is something that needs to change almost as much as the judicial system. People who riot in this manner only hurt their own cause. Others who look onto their actions see this and do not care if they are just in their actions. Destroying the community that they live in and depend on is detrimental to growth. The news doesn't make it better by addressing it, even putting in their that "a Foot Locker was looted"...really? out of all the stores that were looted you had to say Foot Locker? Like that doesn't raise any racial jokes....
The entire situation is a tragedy and unfortunately America as a whole is going to suffer from this. Not one person I talk to even knows that this has happened...I shoulda just started my own blog hahah."SMH"
I appreciate the comment, i totally agree with everything you wrote. Sorry for the delay in response. But this is definitely something that needs to change and also how the media covers the issue. I also think this is something rooted in the black culture "passed" down from generation as well as other cultures too. But as times change i feel we need also need to change the way people in America handle unjust situations.
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