The
45th President is in the news again, facing
indictments in New York and Georgia for
criminal behavior regarding illegally paying a
porn star (New York) and election tampering
(Georgia). While the former President has not
yet been indicted, he has already wallowed in
his victimhood, describing the legal
proceedings as “political” and biased. His
attorneys have attempted to slow the process
in Georgia by lobbing accusations against
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis,
who happens to be a Black woman. She is
biased, they say, incapable of prosecuting. As
usual, the 45th President and his ilk have it
all wrong. And as he has done for the past 50
years, the Orange Man attempts to wiggle out
of his legal challenges.
The
former President has attempted to rally his
troops, just as he did on January 6, 2021.
Fewer may be inclined to take it to the
streets, given that about a thousand
insurrectionists have been charged for
disorderly and disruptive conduct and more.
The average sentence for these miscreants was
16 months, but so far, at least five have been
sentenced to more than seven years. Some were
found not guilty, and many received minor
sentences.
Contrast
the treatment of traitorous criminals with the
treatment of Brittany Martin, a South Carolina
woman who participated in a May 2020 protest
against police brutality and the murder of
George Floyd. She was vocal with a police
officer, shouting “no justice, no peace,” and,
allegedly, “I’m willing to die for the Black,
are you willing to die for the Blue? This is
just a job for you; this is my life.”
Her
comments were perceived as “threats” (she had
no weapon), and she was charged with
aggravated breach of peace, instigating a
riot, and five counts of threatening police
officers. She was grossly overcharged for her
verbal reaction to police violence and was
sentenced, in May 2022, to four years in jail.
Appeals to shorten her sentence were
unsuccessful, and there is evidence that she
was brutally treated in jail. She was
disciplined because she refused to cut her
dreadlocks for religious reasons.
Brittany
Martin got a sentence of four years for
yelling at a police officer. Most
insurrectionists on January 6 got less than a
year and a half. If everyone who shouted “no
justice, no peace” at a rally were sent to
jail, the jails would overflow. Why was she
selectively prosecuted?
Brittany
Martin was harshly treated and given an
unfairly lengthy sentence because she was a
Black woman who chose to stand up for her
rights, including her right to protest.
Perhaps the judge in the case decided to make
an example of her. But as the former President
attempts to get the misguided morons who
support him out to protest, I am reminded of
the unequal ways “justice” (or should we call
it just-us) is meted out. Rabid white men
assaulted capitol police officers. Many
escaped judgment. Others were given a slap on
the wrist. A Black woman fighting for Black
people gets an unreasonably long sentence, and
her pregnancy is imperiled. She gave birth in
November 2022 while incarcerated, receiving
neither justice nor mercy.
Brittany
Martin has given birth to seven children,
losing one to SIDS (sudden infant death
syndrome) and another to gun violence. Before
her latest birth, there were four surviving
children, and now five children are missing
their mother, including an infant who has had
no time to bond with her. South Carolina
incarcerated a mother for four long years for
yelling at a police officer. Federal courts
are sentencing insurrectionists to much less
time. In some ways, comparing federal courts
to state ones is like comparing apples to
oranges. Still, the contrast between
Brittany’s sentence and those who have done
far worse is instructive.
The
prior President may or may not get indicted or
convicted, and he may or may not be forced to
don a jumpsuit the same color as his hair used
to be. But those of us who watch the so-called
justice system are almost certain that he’ll
get a break, just like his supporters, the
January 6 insurrectionists, are getting.
Yelling
is not the same as breaking into a federal
building, assaulting Capitol police officers,
breaking windows, and busting into Speaker
Pelosi’s office. The insurrectionists excuse
their lawlessness by leaning on “free speech”
rights. Where are the rights of Brittany
Martin and the other fearless freedom fighters
treated shabbily by the courts?
