Michael Stewart
Eleanor Bumpers
Amadou Diallo
Jordan Davis
Trayvon Martin
Anthony Baez...
The one thing all these names have in common is that they were murdered doing nothing wrong, and they were all unarmed. We now have another name to add to this list, Darius Simmons. Darius was a Black 13 year old who was murdered by his white next door neighbor, 76 yr old John Henry Spooner.
Spooner was under the impression that Darius broke into his house and stole weapons, an allegation that was apparently baseless. Spooner confronted the unarmed Darius in front of his own home and shot the boy in the chest in order to "teach him a lesson" according to what Spooner told Darius' mother. Darius later died in his mothers arms.
Spooner was convicted of the crime, but now the jury is deliberating on whether or not Spooner was insane at the time. If found insane, Spooner will spend the rest of his days doing soft time in an asylum instead of hard time in a penitentiary.
The list above looks short, but when you look at those names, those were people that loved and were loved, people that will never hold a loved one again or be held, people that can not be replaced. That list is wholly incomplete I am sure, and now there's yet another name to be added to the list. Rest in peace Darius Simmons, you won't be forgotten.
You're absolutely right. Pitiful. The sad thing about it, is the fact that when we stand up for ours, a lot of white people get on the defense and want to start comparing cases. I am so tired of that. I could go on and on, but I will stop here.
ReplyDeleteTragic doesn't even begin to describe. ~sigh~ I don't understand. I don't fucking understand. I simultaneously want to shed tears and scream in rage. An innocent child?!? Illogical, unfounded hate...how can society as a whole NOT SEE the thick, EVIL thread of racism that still pulses through our country??? No...it will likely NEVER be eradicated completely. But how is there NOT swift, collective, and tactical action taken to root out what may very well destroy us all? Most shake their head and stick their head in the sand, yet never challenge anyone around them to think differently or to stand for something. How many children must die before we come together and proactively address the issue of race, inequity, and injustice in this country???
ReplyDelete@NoLongerBlogging: ANY one who thinks for a nanosecond that it's a valid argument to "compare cases" is a disgusting, ignorant fool. NOTHING justifies the killing of a child. Even IF the child had robbed that asshole blind, he was still a 14 year old child and deserved better from the world and fate than to be shot in his own yard.