Cyntoia Brown had been granted clemency. She has been let out on supervisory parole. I am in no way negating the awesomeness of her getting out nor the effort of the people people who fought tooth and nail to get her out I think they should be commended and applauded for their valor and hard work. However, am I the only one who smells the shit in the air or have we had our noses feed so much shit by the media and by America in genetal, that we have become immune or no longer recognize it. Remeber she is a woman of colour and in the context of the world and that especially in America, if you want to get away with something do it to a woman of colour. I speak not from my own perspective or personal opinion but rather objectively and based on the facts at hand and boring from my psychological knowledge.
She should not have been granted clemency because she should not have been convicted at all.
Facts of the case.
1. She was a minor but she was tried as an adult and convicted as an adult. According to US law she was not old enough to vote let alone even buy alcohol and yet when it came to trying her for a crime they saw fit to try her as an adult.
2. She was raped. Repeatadly. She was a victim of sexual assault and violence under the law. What she did is a direct correlation of her trauma from this. Yet Lil Jimmy can shoot up a school and they will say how he was depressed or bullied and its why he did what he do so lets stop bullying in schools. Lets go as far as making episodes in our TV shows to show the dangers so we stop such tragedies from happening again.
3. The victim blaming and shaming of her was so bad that she was apologizing for what she did. She was apologizing for killing her attacker. For trying to get control of her life in some way. That is how psychologically damaged the trauma she exeprinced.
When it comes to people of colour (basically all none white people especially those with darker complexions and people of African descent) they are treated less than in America. From the academic literature and research done to this day to the narrative in media even in the way individuals and groups are handled by the general public and judicial systems, this is an undeniable fact. Anyone who thinks otherwise is either dumb as a rock or benefits from this bias treatment and systemic, institutional oppression. We live in an age where the defence of ignorance is no longer applicable. People need to be held accountable. Every single one of us.
She did not desrve to be imprisoned. What should have happen is she should have been taken to a psychiatric facility and given help to heal her from the trauma she experienced. Helped to get in her feet and reintegrated into society. She had her childhood stolen, her freedom (which is a basic human right) taken from her and when she did what she thought was her only option at the time to get free from the chains that had binded her, she way made to pay for it by yet again having her freedom taken. And I have seen the arguments that she was tried in a court of law and found guilty by a jury of her peers. That Jury, the judge, the prosecution none of the were technically her peers. None of them were her age, had been victims of sexual assault and consisted of people from her socio-economic background. But she was found guilty in the court if law. What she did was illegal she broke the law. Well simpy because something is Legal does not make it Morally right or just and simply because something is illegal does not make morally wrong. Slavery was legal. Stoning a woman to death for adultery was legal. Women owning property and voting was illegal at some point and time and still is to an extent in some parts of the world. This young woman was treated unfairly and unjustly and is still being treated so considering that she is not acquitted but out on parole. One can only hope she will be able to live life now to the fullest. We need to do better. There are many women who have and are going to go through this. May they not habe to endure what Cyntoia had to.
