Our "Justice" System

Why is it that almost every time I decide to get on social media a white male is getting away with rape or murder or even BOTH?? QTNA!!!!!! From police officers to young people with affluent parents. A young man got into the car drunk out of his mind and hit a mini van carrying a family of four (INCLUNDING CHILDREN) and he did not even have to do the bare minimum of serving community service hours because his family was able to hire the best lawyers to keep their precious little baby from facing the consequences of his actions. Then another white male rapist is only being sentenced to 3 months in prison because the judge feels that prison might be too much for him??? What???? Yet, there are 14 year old black children in jail/prison serving outrageous sentences because they were tried as adults. Our "justice" system is only feeding into the fact that white male lives are valued over all others. They are valued over rape victims because how dare she wear what she wants to wear to a party? They are valued over the black children who are slaughtered at the hands of police brutality because the police officer was "afraid". First, as an officer it is your duty to serve and protect so what do you mean you were afraid? And afraid of what? An UNARMED black teenager? Why is one life taking precedence over another? And why is one person allowed to walk away from the situation without being held accountable for their actions while the other person is left raped, injured, or dead? It's simple: white privilege.

The scariest part in all of this is that these cases are setting the standard for other white males and it is reassuring them of their privilege. Other "men" are learning from these experiences that it is okay to rape a woman or to kill another human being as long as you have the white male privilege and the money to pay for an attorney to get you off Scott free. Our "justice" system is saying, "yea, it's okay that you raped the girl. She probably deserved it anyways because of the way she was dressed." or "It's okay that you killed that unarmed black teenager who had his whole life in front of him. You were scared and your fear definitely counts more than his life." They are teaching us, as a society, that "justice" only exists for those who can afford to pay for it. Meanwhile, other poor black "criminals" are given under paid, over-worked, stressed out, and fed up court-appointed attorneys that meet with them for a few minutes before their hearing. And unfortunately, many poor black people are pleading guilty to crimes that they did not commit, without a trial, in order to get a lighter sentence because they cannot afford to pay for a lawyer that will actually work to prove their innocence. But who would blame them, no one believes that they are innocent anyway. The "justice" system coddles white men and delegates external attributions to their behavior. Yet, on the other hand it demonizes and dehumanizes black men, women, and children. If our "justice" system cannot keep us safe, then who can?

"[criminal justice/legal] television shows [such as law and order] . . . are the modern-day equivalent of the old movies portraying happy slaves, the fictional gloss placed on a brutal system of racialized oppression and control" (Michelle Alexander in The New Jim Crow)