Have you ever needed money and dreamt of robbing a bank for the money? Maybe you needed an operation for your family, or your kids were hungry. Maybe you don't like working. Maybe you just wanted to go to the mall and get your hair and nails done. And if you were blonde, white and young, you could.
I’m speaking of the affectionately named “Barbie Bandits” out of Atlanta. About 1 year ago I wrote on the robbery these 2 young girls committed, stealing $11,000 from Bank of America – giggling all the way. They were caught after casually leaving the bank, spending money and then going to the mall the next day and discussing the robbery with a hairdresser.
For this crime, one girl was given the harsh penalty of 10 years probation, the other 2 years in jail and 8 years probation. Let my heart be still. Keep in mind that this was an inside job, one of their accomplices was a Black man. He received 10 years.
Now if you think this is appropriate, note that a bank robber in Surprise Arizona – who walked away with no money – had a 5 ½ hour manhunt after him. He was Hispanic/Latino and 41. Another man Paul Carman, of unnamed race, age 31 robbed Citizens Bank of $3,500 was arrested 8 ½ hours after the robbery. He is charged with robbery, theft and receiving stolen property.
There were no cute nicknames for the male robbers. There were no casual attempts at catching the men. No delay was spared in searching for them. And the charges were both multiple and likely to involve everything but probation. Of course they were not blonde, young and White girls.
My problem? That this is another example of the skewed enforcement of the law that occurs. Senator Obama may not have wanted to say it, but Rev. Wright was alluding to it. And White Americans receive the advantage without thinking about it. If you are White you have an advantage at every step even while you break the law. And I can’t get the same treatment even if I deserve it.
The “typical White person” in America probably won’t see the problem with the young girls getting probation. They were dumb, and were not violent in their actions. They have lives in front of them. They deserve the chance to get their lives on track. Such are the comments that might be said.
Yet I have never heard such comments made of African Americans or people of color when a crime is committed. Nor have I seen a similar criminal penalty handed out. It reminds me of the Delorean fiasco. He was caught with a kilo of cocaine. Only because there were huge sums of money devoted to finding an entrapment by the DEA, did he avoid jail. Of course the general consensus of the country was, ‘He couldn’t have done that?!’ But if I was similarly entrapped do you honestly think I’d get the same monetary and public support? Do you think I’d have avoided a huge jail term?
If you can even hesitate in your answer then you know the answer is that I’d be in jail for a decade or more. The same thing would happen if I were involved in a robbery like the ‘Barbie Bandits’, as the Black male in this case received.
How can any American be aghast at the comments of Rev. Wright, Rev. Al Sharpton, or any other African American while our legal system skews the legal punishment of Whites right in our faces? And the media conveniently avoids coverage of these events in favor of negative portrayals of people of color? Avoiding questionable or downright barbaric events like Megan Williams torture, rape and kidnapping, or the murder of Sean Bell and others.
I love my country, but I hate the schism in legal enforcement and the presumption of guilt I face because of the color of my skin. This ‘Barbie’ case just highlights the facts. It is in no way an extreme as I have seen in the news.
These women are criminals. They broke federal laws, and committed high crimes. They flaunted their crimes and were laughing about the crime. Were they not idiots, who knows how long they would have gotten away with their actions, since there was no manhunt as every other similar case has. And as a deterrent to other young, White girls and boys they received probation while the African American received 10 years. What message do you think is being made?
So the next time you need money, especially if you are in the South and specifically if you are in Cobb County, rob a bank. That is if you are White with blonde hair. Being a girl is a bonus too. Because the time is easily worth the crime, if you are White it seems.
No comments:
Post a Comment