Social/Teen Issues

http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SXX75345-0-2616&artno=0000271051&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=&title=As%20Spotlight%20Dims%2C%20Shadows%20Remain&res=Y&ren=N&gov=N&lnk=N&ic=N

As Spotlight Dims, Shadows Remain

This article, which comes from the Chicago Tribune, is about the racial tension that lies beneath a facade of peace in the US, and how their judicial system is riddled with flaws that allow for discrimination, as the future of the convicted hinges on the decision of the judge, who is human, and is therefore subjected to biasness in the form of discrimination.

The proof that was offered was a comparison between sentences meted out to white and black people who committed similar crimes, or crimes of a similar nature. The first example given was that of a 14-year-old black girl who was sentenced to 7 years in juvenile prison for pushing a hall monitor at her high school, whereas a white girl, also 14, was sentenced to probation for the crime of arson. These two cases were handled by the same judge and it is rather evident that the judge is biased in the favour of the white girl, as it is my opinion that arson is alot more serious than pushing someone, as arson has the potential to kill somebody, while the chances of a death occurring due to a push is extremely miniscule. It is also evident that a push does not warrant 7 years in juvenile, as these are everyday occurrences that might happen to anyone, and even 1 year in prison is overkill in such cases in my opinion. Yet, the same judge was able to sentence an arsonist to a measly probation term, when it warrants a much more severe punishment. The contrast that is shown is so obvious that I wonder how such a judge even acquired his position.

Another comparison raised was between two cases of assault, one by a group of white men on a mentally retarded black man, and another, where a group black students attacked a white student. In both cases the victim suffers severe damage, but the white men were only given a "slap on the wrist from local juries that regarded them as "good old boys" who made a youthful mistake." On the other hand, the black students were charged with attempted murder.

These two case studies show us that while the US hopes to project the image that the racial tensions there are a thing of the past, they are still very much real. While steps have been taken to prevent such incidences from occurring, they do not solve the root cause of the problem, the hate that the two races have for each other. To this day, this hate that seems to be overflowing from many Americans continues to baffle me. All this hate seems to come from nowhere in particular, and the fight continues, with no apparent aim in mind.

Perhaps counselling would be the way forward for the people in these states, although it can be seen that in Linden, the assault on Billy Ray Johnson has abated the conflict somewhat, as is evidenced when one of the residents there mentions that "as tragic as it was, the Billy Ray Johnson case united this town". I want to believe in this line, and to have hope that in the future, no matter how far down the road, we will have ceased to have racial conflicts ever again.
Witt, H. (2007, December 30). As the spotlight dims, shadows remain. Chicago Tribune,