When someone’s eyes linger on the mutilated body of Emmett Till, “justice” is the last word anyone would think. Yet, it was the law itself that acquitted the two men who lynched the 13-year-old boy. The courts sent the Black population a harrowing message that day: We don’t see you.
Now, in Iowa, lawmakers are trying to bring the death penalty back, even though the numbers have shown how ineffective it is.
As much as people want to believe the justice system is different today, it tragically remains the same. It continues with Freddie Owens. But this time, the courts are doing the killing.
Freddie Owens, arrested for the alleged murder of a convenience store clerk in 1997, was executed last month in South Carolina. It is believed the testimony of Steve Golden, a friend of Owens and accomplice to the murder, was what convinced the jury that Owens pulled the trigger.
Days before Owens’ execution, Golden admitted to lying on the stand, saying that Owens did not pull the trigger. Owens wasn’t even at the scene of the crime.
He said he was coerced by police. Not only was Golden pressured by law enforcement with no evidence, but he was also not in the right frame of mind — he was high on cocaine.
If someone cannot properly consent when drunk, how can police use the words of a man high on cocaine as damning evidence?
The courts dismissed this, stating that even if it were true, Owens still would not be able to escape death due to his involvement in the robbery.
This is not an isolated event. In Oklahoma, another Black man, Emmanuel Littlejohn, was put to death for his involvement in a convenience store shooting. Although Littlejohn expressed regret for his involvement in the crime, he maintains that he was not the one to pull the trigger. His attorney provides evidence suggesting he wasn’t.
The Oklahoma parole board recommended clemency for Littlejohn, allowing him to continue his life in prison without parole. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt decided against it. This marks his 15th execution in office, several of which involved individuals who suffered from severe mental health, brain damage, or claimed innocence.
Marcellus Williams, a 55-year-old Black man, was also put to death in September for a crime evidence suggests he did not commit.
The knife used at the time of killing showed that the DNA on the handle belonged to someone else, not Williams. This led to the reopening of the case in 2017.
However, due to improper handling of the evidence, the Missouri Gov. Mike Parson decided to dissolve the board of inquiry. Parson said it was time to “move forward.”
Williams was sentenced to death by a jury of 11 white people and one Black person. In a truly fair trial, the accused is entitled to a jury of their peers. Only one person of color had a seat at the table when deciding another Black man’s fate, yet society will tell you we champion diversity.
How was the evidence not better handled, especially considering the training these employees receive?
Conservatives wonder why Black Americans do not trust the justice system. This is why. Black lives are handled the same way Williams’ evidence was — carelessly.
The list of Black bodies hung by the government continues. These cases are just the tip of an iceberg that goes miles deep.
Historically, the death penalty was used to execute rape convicts, usually Black defendants accused of raping white victims. However, many question the validity of these claims.
There is a long and storied history of white women accusing Black men of raping them, or fearing it, as in Emmett Till’s case. The story almost always ends in Black-spilled blood.
From 1930 to 1972, of all the men executed for rape, 89 percent were Black. Of these cases, 97 percent occurred in post-Confederate states. No white man has ever been executed for the rape of a Black woman or child where the victim survived, yet numbers prove Black men are not treated the same.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Black people are 7.5 times more likely to be convicted of murder than white people. If the victim was white, the rate was even higher.
According to the same research, Black Americans are also 80 percent more likely to be innocent of the crimes than their white counterparts.
Black Americans also made up 56 percent of all death sentence exonerees throughout history.
Although this number may be surprising to many white Americans, for Black people, this is everyday life.
Research has shown that Black assailants with traditionally Black features — i.e., darker skin, broader nose — are twice as likely to receive the death sentence over lighter-skinned assailants if the victim was white. This shows an undeniable bias against Black Americans.
Do not conflate justice with bloodlust.
Black Americans have been led to death row like lambs to the slaughter for over a century now. Don’t let it take another image of an eviscerated boy’s body to make a change.
Wake up, America.