Opinion
Equal justice for Blacks in America – what a wonderful Christmas gift that would be!
Affluenza is not even recognized by the American Psychiatric Association as an official diagnosis, yet this is what Judge Boyd used as her reasoning for simply giving him probation. Not only did the judge give Couch no prison time and only 10 years of probation, she also ordered him to be sent to a nearly US$500,000 a year rehab facility for the rich, in order for him to “get better” and learn from his mistakes.
So, how has this punishment worked for the “affluenza” stricken teenager?
Couch has been placed on the most wanted list, and federal and local agencies have been on a manhunt for him, after he missed his appointment and his parole officer was not able to reach him. When officials went to the house where he was allegedly staying with his mother, Tanya, they found the place empty. Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson has since said that he “would not be surprised” if Couch and his mother had fled the country.
What I find even more disturbing by this is what the sheriff went on to say. The sheriff went on to say, “I wasn’t surprised at all that he ran,” and added that he had been “expecting something like this.” If you had been expecting something like this, why weren’t you watching him closer?
Earlier this month, a brief video emerged on Twitter of some young men playing a game of beer pong. The person who posted the video claimed Couch, who cannot drink or use drugs and drive as part of his probation, was in the video and was violating his court terms. Couch met with his probation officer around the time the video came out, but did not come back after that, according to reports.
Couch, was a spoiled, rich White kid who got away with murder and felt untouchable because of White privilege. The families of those murder victims did not receive justice at all; instead Couch got away with murder and now he and his mother are on the run. Their White privilege could not even allow Couch to humble himself and honor the terms of the probation he was sentenced to by Judge Boyd, who is just as guilty in my mind as Couch, because she allowed him to escape accountability for his actions. On top of that, we now see Couch’s mother continuing to serve as his enabler, and teaching him that being rich and White in America is a “privilege” that allows him to do just about anything he wants to do, even murder, without any consequences or accountability.
Now ask yourself, can Black people go to court and claim they are suffering from “Brokenza,” in order to explain why they committed any criminal act? Can Black people provide any excuse or reason to avoid being thrown into prison – like the lame defense strategy that Couch’s attorney used and the judge bought?
You know the answer to that. Hell no we can’t!
Unfortunately, Black people have historically and statistically been on the receiving end of a brand of justice that is not blind at all; that is as it relates to the color of our skin and our socio-economic status.
Even when Black folks commit criminal acts, we should be treated equally at every stage of the criminal justice system. The justice system is currently and has historically been set up for us to fail and fall victim to it. We must wake up and get involved in helping reverse the trend of injustice and putting the right people in place to do what’s in the best interest of Black people.
In addition to being an award-winning journalist, Jeffrey L. Boney is an entrpreneur, founder and CEO of the Texas Business Alliance. The original version of this article was first published in Forward Times Online.
