two things. first; the youth must soon get a better understanding and appreciation for life. i am a strong believer that it starts with the parents, but at what point do the church leaders, voices of the community, and even entertainers (who the youth often turn to for guidance) decide to assume responsibility. children need to know that you appreciate things earned more than things taken and; in the long run something that you worked for and acquired on your own will be more lasting and rewarding than something stolen. they must learn to value their life which will in turn force others to see and accept that value. if you appear clueless and careless about your worth and what you can accomplish, others will have no choice but be clueless and careless about you in general. case in point, this story.
second. society, communities of color more specifically, must not continue to idly stand by and allow injustice, sugar coated discrimination, and constant mistreatment. we must ensure that our local government and federal government consist of individuals that will make an attempt to better those that can be, apply equal reward and punishment to civilians, and assume accountability for their actions. the judge in the case has clearly decided that based on another civilians declaration, that this teenager is a criminal that deserves to be hindered and punished for the rest of his life. i am by no means condoning the crimes committed, but it appears that these two were bored and were looking for excitement however it would come. the severity of the punishment does not meet that of the crime. in the video the judge stated that had the teen plead guilty he would have received a lessor sentence, this meant that the judges emotions came into play during sentencing. it’s up to the jury to find the defendant guilt, and after that what the defendant claims is irrelevant. or so i thought.
from personal experience, watching my younger brother, and cousins deal with criminal issues, i know that law enforcement officials get emotionally attached. they often have a feeling of superiority and if you make an assertion that they feel is less than respectful, ie. this teen not admitting his guilt, they take the authority they have been granted and stretch the limits for miles.
“if Martin Luther was living he wouldn’t let this be”- M. Jackson
Young-Valid-Cultured 