The Two Judicial Systems are Breaking America
Loss of Faith in Our Judicial Systems
America is having a crisis that is stemming from racial injustice. There are a lot of areas of discrimination that aren’t obvious, but our Judicial System is an area that is definitely shows the disparity. Take, for instance, the arrest of Riley Williams. Ms. Williams was involved in the insurrection at the Capitol. She stole the laptop that belonged to the Speaker of the House. But theft and criminal trespass weren’t her only crimes. She wanted to sell the laptop to Russia to use against the United States. I’m no lawyer, but that sounds like treason to me.
Released on House Arrest
I’ve seen law enforcement pile on charges for nothing offenses, so what was Williams charged with? According to ABC27.com, “…aiding and abetting theft of U.S. property and obstruction of official proceedings of U.S. Congress.” That’s it. Aiding and abetting theft and obstruction. But it gets better than that. She was released to her mother’s custody. This full-grown, adult woman was given home confinement, with mommy to watch over her, after she attempted to aid an enemy of America.
We already wrote a post about Retired Lt. Col. Larry Rendall Brock Jr who was also arrested after taking part in the insurrection. He, too, was released to home confinement. Even people who know Brock spoke about the anger he harbored and his desire to kill people he didn’t like. A man who stated his desire to kill people was not kept in jail.
Negative Bias Against Minorities
Minorities, particularly Black people, are perceived in a negative light. They are more likely to be viewed as having criminal intent. They are more likely to be perceived as violent. And they are more likely to be determined to need harsher punishment by the Executive and Judicial Branches of our system. Added to that, the Judicial Branch, our courts, have shown a tendency toward leniency when considering incarceration for White people, as shown above.
To give some examples of Black justice, we’ll start with Kalief Browder. Browder was arrested for stealing a backpack from someone. The person who made the accusation kept changing his story. Browder denied stealing the backpack. Regardless, police arrested him. He was kept on Rikers Island for three years before he got a trial. Two of those years were in solitary confinement. The case against him was eventually dropped.
Then there’s Crystal Mason here in Texas, who didn’t know she couldn’t vote while on probation. She was sentenced to five years in jail. Five years for voting! The woman is being jailed for five years for doing what she felt was her civic duty. She didn’t try to harm America by selling secrets to Russia. She didn’t threaten to kill large groups of people she hated. She voted.
Bias Even in Incarceration
Then there’s the situation with the infamous Q Shaman, whose real name is Jacob Anthony Angeli Chansley, though he goes by Jake Angeli. Angeli was another person who was arrested in the insurrection attempt at the Capitol on January 6. Angeli, however, was not released. He is currently incarcerated. You may think the system finally worked. Don’t hold your breath. Angeli’s mother complained to the judge that her son hadn’t eaten because he only eats organic food and that he gets sick if he eats anything other than that. The judge fell for this false stupidity and ordered that he be fed organic food.
Yet it’s common for Muslims in jail to frequently be given food that includes pork. Hindus receive meals that include beef. They are left in the position of not eating the parts of the meals that violate their religious beliefs, but that leaves them short on food. Jails meet guidelines as to necessary dietary requirements and no more.
Judicial Reform
The unrest we’ve seen lately has been a result of discrimination. It started when Black people said enough over the excessive force used by police officers, against them. It continued when white supremacists saw an opening to push their agenda and portrayed themselves as being for law and order, which is far from the truth, and being supportive of law enforcement, which they only are if law enforcement is supportive of them abusing minorities. This can all change, but it’s going to take law enforcement and the courts to open their eyes about what they are really doing. Not only do I think it can be done, but I think it has to be done to get our country back on track.