Copy this CollectionHow can underrepresented communities stay safe,protected,and advocated for in the face of inequality, and community harm and ruin caused by social and political oligarchy? This collection is inspired by the Botham Jean and Amber Guyger case. The case ruling left many communities,especially black and brown communities, feeling grief,anger,and hopelessness. A Texas law called the "castle doctrine" states that you have a right to defend yourself in your home,and this doctorine can be used to protect innocent people who were defending themselves in a situation like an armed burglary. But what happens when that very law that is used to protect someone defending their own home, is granted validity to protect a white cop who broke into an innocent black mans home, allegedly by "accident",and killing him? What happens when she is given a lesser sentence because it was a mistake? How does a community process the forgiveness and grace not only showed by the judge, but the brother of the victim?
Many communities who know injustice all too well, on national and international levels expressed anger,hurt,and distrust for the system, while self-determining their boundaries for forgiving those who have greatly harmed them and their families.I started thinking about restorative justice. Many were enraged that the judge, and especially Botham's brother, showed forgiveness towards Guyger. In the same vein, we discussed the flip side of the criminal justice system, and how we often wished that members of our community who were incarcerated or killed for minor offenses or crimes they didn't even commit,were shown no grace in court whether alive or dead. As every law in the book would be used to protect persons in power,whether their power resided in sex, race,wealth, or law and politics,communities vulnerable to political inequality would then figure out ways to self govern.
Reformative and restorative justice would greatly benefit communities of color, but only if done in a healthy way. The restorative justice that was given to Amber Guyger, was premature and harmful,as it is meant to protect those who would otherwise be caused more harm if left to be dealt with by the hands of the formal criminal justice system. By allowing the community,especially and most importantly the person or family who was harmed, to co decide how to handle situations like this, a safer and better sustained community can exist.
