White Teen Will Get Slap On Wrist For Violent Assault On Officer

We are constantly seeing more stories of actual violent white people somehow escaping the fates of those like Michael Brown and Tamir Rice.

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Photo courtesy of ABC

So many of us make mistakes especially in our youth, but it is continuously being shown that the consequences of living?are more dangerous for people of color. Commonly, black and brown people are thought to be violent and dangerous even if they aren’t. So much goes into how society and cops see us, and whites do not face such a burden. Take the story of Sarah Culhane.

Last September, the 19-year-old white female committed three hit-and-runs leaving a woman injured and also assaulted a police officer. At that time, Culhane didn’t get beaten by the cops or even shot at. This in and of itself is different than how many blacks get treated in their encounters with the police. We have so many stories of unarmed people who have done nothing the caliber of which Sarah did getting killed because of cops perceived/made up fear.

But not only did Culhane escape the wrath of cops at the scene, now she will receive no jail time and may actually get her record cleaned. The prosecuting attorney has dropped most of the charges, and the young lady will be entered into a first-time offender program. ?This could leave her with a clean record instead of having a criminal stigma attached to her for life like so many minorities live with.

I have no opinions on whether this is the right punishment [or lack thereof] for Sarah Culhane. However, what I do believe is that things like this don’t happen to black people. Why did cops not handle the situations with Eric Garner or Mike Brown similarly? How do whites who are actually violent come off as less of a threat than blacks who are just minding their business until cops provoke and instigate? Why do whites end up in jail at the worst, or with a mere slap on the wrist at the best? Sure, there are a couple of examples of unarmed whites being killed by cops and those cops walking free. But where are the string of unjust murders perpetrated against whites by cowardly armed cops claiming fear?

The fact is that this just doesn’t happen in the same percentages. Even the jerks who think Mike Brown or Eric Garner deserved to die, can never rattle off more than ONE name of a white person who has suffered similar fates. The United States is still bound to a white supremacist structure, and it plays out?too often in our criminal justice system. Continuing to hear these examples of white privilege and differential treatment make me sick.

 

I was born on January 13, 1990. I was born and raised in Charlotte, NC. I moved up north and attended the University of CT from 2008 to 2012. I currently also work at a law firm in Uptown Charlotte and have been helping with this organization entitled the National Independent Voter Coalition. My interests include: Politics (obviously), Basketball (playing and watching) and watching almost any sport, movies, reading, the law, human rights, entertainment, mostly Angelina Jolie and Beyonce. I am fun, caring, passionate, intelligent, and unique!