Florida Teen Boot Camp Death: Another Example of “Southern” Justice
Justice truly is blind and probably even more so in the South. I’ve always known that being a long time Southern resident, but it still amazes me how in 2007, people are still blind when it comes to justice for all. Nothing speaks of that more than the Florida boot camp death case of 14 year old Martin Lee Anderson. On October 12, an all white jury in Panama City found the guards and nurse involved in the beating of the Florida teen not guilty. How? I really don’t know considering the beating was caught on video tape. This teen, who was sent to boot camp for illegally joyriding in his grandmother’s car, was repeatedly kicked and beaten by seven guards while a nurse - a nurse - stood by and watched! Even after the 14 year old passed out, the guards still continued to beat and kick him while he was unconscious. And the nurse did absolutely nothing. Boy, she sure took her oath to do no wrong seriously!
When the video of the beating first surfaced, I felt for sure that the jury, once the case went to trial, would see that the actions of the guards led to this 14 year boy’s death. I never bought that sickle cell trait, a blood disorder that is commonly diagnosed in African Americans, killed him. Take it from me, who personally knows several people with sickle cell trait, which is different from actual sickle cell anemia. Carriers of the sickle cell trait suffer periodic joint pain; some carriers are never troubled by it at all. So when the first autopsy cited the sickle cell trait as the cause of death, I knew that wasn’t right. The second autopsy revealed that the boy died of suffocation through the direct actions of the guards and not from complications from sickle cell trait. That sounds right.
In a way, I shouldn’t be amazed that the old “all white jury” scenario still occurs in America, but in many ways, it still does surprise me. This country has become a huge melting pot of cultures, yet somehow, an all white jury was selected to serve on the Florida teen boot camp case in Panama City. Florida is a state that has a huge mix of culture and races, especially those of Latin heritage; however, north Florida (where Panama City is located) is not as diverse as south Florida. You want to believe that people accept people on an equal basis, no matter their color, race, religion, or sexual orientation when it comes to juries, but you don’t really know what goes on in people’s mind when they are a jury member. While I’m not saying that the Panama City jury for the Florida teen boot camp death are racist, I’m saying it looks suspect. I just find it very difficult to believe that these guards and the nurse were acquitted of these charges. Anyone who saw that tape would find that hard to believe. While I understand that two autopsy’s presented alternate causes of death, I still wonder how there could be reasonable doubt. It is absolutely unreasonable for a 14 year old boy to be alive one minute and dead one minute after being kicked and beaten by several adults. Oh and did I mention that this was caught on video tape? Where’s the reasonable doubt?
Obviously, I’m not the only one who finds the acquittal 100% outrageous. There were marches and protests in Panama City and Tallahassee, Florida’s capital city, on October 12 right after the verdict was announced. I heard a first hand account that college students and other protesters took to the streets in Tallahassee and blocked off a major downtown intersection to protest the acquittals. A group numbering in the 100s, at least, literally sat in the middle of the intersection, shouting protest slogans, and daring anyone to move them or drive towards through them. While I learned that there would be a full investigation into the trial process, I have my doubts that anything will happen unless someone pushes. When I say someone, I say that fully organized protest rallies need to be held in Panama City and/or Tallahassee. I’m saying that Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and the Tallahassee branch of the NAACP need to be involved. They were pretty successful in making their voices heard a few years ago over a few other cases of racism and prejudice. I’m saying that people need to flood Florida’s governor with calls about the injustice. While it’s not Governor Charlie Crist’s fault - he inherited this problem from Jeb Bush - I think he needs to hear our voices and thoughts on this issue.
Get involved. Don’t just sit around and do nothing. It’s 2007 yet racism, prejudice, and injustice plagues this country more than ever. And with recent incidents, the dirty little “open secret” about America is resurfacing back to the light. You have people hanging nooses around a prominent African American professor’s door at Columbia University in New York City. You have people hanging nooses in trees in Jeana, Louisiana because African American students chose to sat under a “whites only” tree. You have people who think it’s okay to run around in red face and ceremonial Native American headdress when it’s not! Is this the 1950s/60s or is this 2007, the new millennium where we’re suppose to be a little more enlightened?
Wrong is wrong, no matter what color you are. Don’t sit on your butt and say it doesn’t concern you because it does. It definitely concerns you if you have generations of American decedents’ blood flowing through your veins because guess what? You have the blood of a slave, the blood of a white man or woman of European decent, and the blood of a Native American inside of you. Whether your skin is white, red, or brown, you are mixed! And don’t get me started on the fact that we all come from one man and one woman: Adam and Eve. To not protest against racial injustice is an insult to your ancestors, who are responsible for you being here. So get up and do something!
- Contact the US Justice Department
- Contact the NAACP
- Contact Florida’s Governor
- Contact the National Action Network
- Contact the Rainbow PUSH Collation
[Source Information for this post via MSNBC]