Thursday, June 24, 2010

A Stacked Deck Against Black Men


The deck is stacked against black men in America.  It is stacked against them the day they are born as far as justice in America goes.  Troy Davis gets to have his case heard, but there is a catch 22 that comes along with it. 

"Certainly, Mr. Davis and his attorneys have a very difficult burden ahead of them," said Howard Bashman, a Philadelphia attorney who operates a Web site devoted entirely to appellate litigation. "They have to show far more than there are serious doubts over the validity of the conviction. They have to show that the new evidence clearly establishes Mr. Davis' innocence." ~~Jeff Mays, BV~~

"...Seven of nine witnesses have recanted their testimonies, claiming that police coerced their cooperation in the hopes of securing a quick conviction. Four of those witnesses testified in court today that their original testimony was not true and that authorities pressured them to name Davis as the shooter."~~Jeff Mays, BV~~

What does not quite make sense is the fact that even after the witnesses in Troy Davis's trial have admitted that their testimony was not true, he still has to prove that he is innocent. A black man was framed but he has to prove he is innocent even after the witnesses admitted giving false testimony. Shouldn't the courts be dismissing his case?  Or does that only happen in Perry Mason movies?  Or does Troy Davis have to wait until he is a senior citizen and incapable of fathering any black children before he is released?

More and more black men are being released after spending the best years of their life in prison for crimes they did not commit after DNA test proved their innocence.  Yet and still, there are still many black men in prison for crimes they did not commit.  Correctional Officers used to tell you that's what they all say. But could it be because they were telling the truth and are really innocent.  After all, there has been a rise in black men being set free after spending years in prison for crimes they did not commit. Yes, they are given lump sums of money, but does that buy back years of their life spent in jail or turn back the hands of time?

Another interesting article I read today was regarding the tolerance of white militias and the racial double standard.  Going back down memory lane, I remember another group who carried guns out in the open to a state capitol that were not given the same privilege as the militas are being given.  Instead they were branded criminals and put under FBI surveillance until their group was disbanded by death, jail, or lack of members.

"Armed with enough firepower to take on a police department, some of these groups are honing their sniper skills using photographs of Obama for target practice." ~~Courtland Milloy, Washington Post~~ 

Yet and still, the white militas are not considered dangerous enough to disband.  They've been given free reign  to grow in numbers while those same law folks turn and look the other way and folks on the right justify them as being harmless.


Why is it that since the Revolutionary War in America, black men are welcomed back with police brutality even if they had on their military uniform?  Although, Haven did not have on a uniform, he did inform the police that he was a Iraq vet, but that did not stop the policeman from beating him.  So what if he suffered from PTSD like many of the white soldiers returning from the war.  It probably wouldn't had even made a difference if he had been missing any limbs as far as the police welcoming committee is concerned. He's just another black man--an endangered species.

8 comments:

BigmacInPittsburgh said...

Tell it Granny,tell it!

Dylan B. said...

That is the truth Granny. Nice post.

Primaldata said...

I feel you on this. To make matters worse instead of us all standing together thanks to the gains already won we stand on seperate sides of some of the same arguments everybody wanting theirs first. Because THEY haven't gotten their BLACK check in a minute oh they are safe so the rest of us just need to act right.

It doesn't matter if we didn't do anything wrong in the first place we have to accept the ill treatment because. The because is always stupid and you know if they were in the same situation they would want our full support.

Being non white does not make us less then human, any of us no matter how tanned our skin, but since they have wisely divided the lines over the last few decades it's much easier to fight these fragmented groups than it is to fight the might unified voice of equality.

GrannyStandingforTruth said...

I've been keeping an eye on the Oscar Grant Trial. The police out this way have been preparing for a riot if...or maybe I should say when Mehserle is freed. Yup, they even showed them training for it on the local news station.

Isn't it odd how the people are expecting justice, but the law enforcement agencies are expecting rioting. That right there says a whole lot doesn't it.

Why would you prepare for a riot, if you didn't know or think beforehand what the verdict will be?

Kathy said...

Thanks for posting this Granny, it's unbelievable that Troy Davis is on death row, based on eyewitnesses alone, even if they didn't recant, it's ridiculous, not even one tiny bit of physical evidence, no gun, no dna, no motive, nothing, and he spends 20 years on death row?

It's a disgrace, not just on Georgia, but on our country.

GrannyStandingforTruth said...

Diapora:

Well said, and pretty much briefly sums up the black experience in America that whites seem to pretend does not exist.

Hey Kathy:

Thanks! Welcome back, I haven't seen you since Moby Dick was a minnow. I've been following the Oscar Grant trial, so I'm in a police brutality mode right now. I'm hoping that it does not come to a "Burn Baby Burn" moment when Grant's trial is over and they let Mehserle go. It has been enough bloodshed already.

I haven't been posting too much lately because I've been awful busy and hadn't been feeling well lately. In addition, I'm getting ready to take a few weeks vacation and go on a trip pretty soon to visit some of my distant relatives after I finish getting a few things that need to be done squared away. I was hoping to get to attend a couple of our family reunions for the Fourth of July weekend, but won't be able to make them this time around. ):

Anonymous said...

And still I rise.

Constructive Feedback said...

Granny:

Lets not forget about the BLACK MAN named Michael Cooper. He was the Black man that was shot in the jaw by the dynamic duo of Troy Davis and "Red" Coles.

http://withintheblackcommunity.blogspot.com/2009/05/field-negro-meet-real-troy-davis-and.html

Unfortunately for Michael Cooper - he was shot in the face as he drove away in a car after getting into a scuffle at a party with Troy Davis. Unfortunately for Michael Cooper - he was shot by a man who is under the protective veil of the protection racket hoisted by unjust Leftists.

Does the truth come out when you choose to not talk about certain facts?