My Skin is My Sin

What’s Good People?

The dictionary defines the term or color BLACK as “soil or stained with dirt gloomy; pessimistic; dismal lacking hue and brightness”. Thus the unfavorable terms; BLACK SWAN, BLACK-DAY, BLACK SHEEP, BLACK HAT, BLACK COMEDY, BLACK FRIDAY, etc…  You ready people? Let’s Go!

Ok people’ let me get focused…

I was watching television the other night and came across the CNN coverage of Amanda Knox arriving in her hometown of Seattle, Washington after being set free by the Italian court in a highly publicized murder trial. She was being celebrated in similar fashion as heads of states or some larger than life dignitary the caliber of a Pope or the late Great Michael Jackson.  But wait a minute only a few weeks ago; Troy Davis was EXCUTED by the United States government after being convicted of murdering a police officer while on duty. Must I not forget this past summer all the rage was about Casey Anthony and her acquittal of murdering her 2 year old daughter on charges of aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter? So in the past six months I have witnessed two Caucasian females set free by the justice system here in the United States and abroad and a Black male put to sleep despite mounting evidence that suggest he might be innocent? WTF!

The Back-story:

Amanda Knox: A knife was recovered by police at the crime scene suggesting that it was the murder weapon with Knox’s DNA on the handle and the victim’s blood on the blade. Knox also gave a confession that was deemed inconsistent with her whereabouts on the night of the crime. Bloody footprints of both Knox and her co-defendant were also found in Knox’s bedroom. There are witness accounts and suspect behavior by Knox that would suggest that she either participated or knew of the attack against the victim. The mounting evidence just piles on against Knox when you research the case.

Footnote: Did you know that an African Rudy Guede a native of the Ivory Coast was convicted in the same Knox case and is serving over 25yrs in jail today after being the first to be convicted amongst the three defendants (Knox, Sollecito and Guede). And please do remember that Knox initially blamed another innocent Black man Patrick Lumumba a Congolese nationale who ran a bar in Perugia, Italy who is now suing Knox for defamation.  

Casey Anthony: This trial led to an acquittal after 400 pieces of evidence were presented against the defendant. A strand of hair was recovered from the trunk of Anthony’s car that was deemed a match to that of the victim’s hairbrush. The defendant was alleged to have waited up to six weeks before reporting her daughter missing and subsequently upon the search the remains of the body was found in the woods in a baggy near by the family home.

Troy Davis: Despite being sentenced to death and executed just two weeks ago; these are the disturbing facts in Mr. Davis case that remain unanswered: (1) No physical evidence directly links him to the murder. (2) No murder weapon was ever found. (3) The case against him primarily rested on witness testimony and since his trial, SEVEN of nine key witnesses have recanted or changed their testimony. Some alleging police coercion. 

All the while I was raised to believe the edict that America is the land of the FREE where “All Men Are Created Equally”. Let me tell you about my America where race and the color of your skin is still used against you EVERYDAY. Money and ties to the local country-clubs are where justice is served. And in fact, it is not your truth that counts or matters only that of the 70 year-old judge sitting on the bench who believes his the smartest person walking the face of planet earth.

People of color wherever we are in this world suffer from political, social, psychological and economic exploitation at the hands of the powerful white elites and from our own kind filled with greed. As a result of this exploitation, people of color generally are purposefully put into situations where the commissions of criminal acts are seen as the most effective solution to their problems. Most whites, still remain daft and will probably never understand the quandary in which most Black people find themselves today. Stolen from their homeland (with help from the same greedy natives in some cases), forced to work under the most horrid conditions imaginable for no money and kept in slavery of different forms and fashions up to this very day, Black people have been under the constant control of Whites. And today, their most effective means of maintaining control is through the criminal justice system.

Black people are absolutely correct when they say “there is no justice there is JUST US”. Look in any courtroom in any urban area, what you will find is a steady stream of Black males going to jail and a steady stream of White males going home. When Whites don’t win, they want to take their bat and ball and leave the field, only to play again under a new set of rules. THEIR RULES!

Even the most die-hard integrationist must admit that there is racism in the criminal justice system. Just how much, however, is up for debate. Is it too much of a reach to assume that the prejudices of the larger society are also held by judges, cops, lawyers, bail bondsman, etc? Sure we have some internal issues in our communities that we must attend to. But all races do and I ask my non-colored friends to check their prejudices and biases at the door before you take the bench the next time. 

Give me WHITE Justice…