By: Antonette Kamara
“I have faith in the justice system.”
I recently met with organizers from the Minnesota Justice Research Center. Throughout their presentation, they consistently used the term "criminal legal system" rather than "criminal justice system." Why? Because according to one of the organizers, Aaron, this is not a justice-serving system.
Marcellus Khaliifah Williams' state-sanctioned execution made me completely understand. To be clear, I've always understood, but now I do even more so. On September 24th, Marcellus Williams was executed via lethal injection following a murder conviction that had been called into question.
It always felt incredibly privileged and tone-deaf when people in power would make the time-old statement, "I have faith in our justice system," whenever our system fails. Despite my desire to believe that our system is designed to keep us all safe, I cannot recall a time when I felt that way.
Our current system is one that squeaks, grinds, and tears at those who are most vulnerable. We all know that life can be unpredictable and unfair, but our social system preys on those who have suffered the most. Marcellus has maintained his innocence regarding the alleged murder. Could you imagine being accused of a crime you did not commit, being imprisoned for a long period of time, and then being executed?
It seems that no matter what Marcellus could have done, and all the millions of us who stood up for him, he was powerless to withstand the tides of racism and hatred that swept generations before him. Facing that reality is dark, and heavy, and honestly, at times it’s still hard for me to fathom. Although I grew up surrounded by racists, studied injustice and the history of it all in America, and have spent my career working for equity, it's difficult to witness something like this unfold. It serves as a reminder that despite the relatively safe spaces I may be in, and the gradual changes we are seeing, many places are decades, or even centuries, behind.
Therefore, I feel threatened when I hear old white men say they have "faith in the system". This is a system that disproportionately kills black people compared to every other race. It is the same system that killed Sonya Massey, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin, Jamar Clark, and countless others. And this is based on what we know, and what is recorded. It is after all, common for black people to have personal experiences or know of people who have suffered at the hands of the law. So, when Missouri's Governor, rather than admitting mistakes, decided to stand by the "system," I felt like what he was really saying was that this is how things should have been all along. The system is in fact, doing its job.
Black people have always been victims of the system—the unfortunate consequences of a system that fails. In my opinion, the refusal to make structural changes in the justice system or, in this case, to acknowledge that there was a grey area in the verdict, is a prime example of the white fear that has spread throughout society in recent years. The practice of discrimination is seen as a badge of honor in white supremacy spaces, but it extends across a wide variety of contexts. Widespread hatred towards immigrants (I guess we are eating cats and dogs now), the backlash towards DEI, critical race theory, and affirmative action, just to throw out some examples.
What is so upsetting about all of this, is that it almost felt like the “system” has become an entity of its own, one that operates outside of human control, as if it has become its own body that is free to take down black people with no repercussion or consideration. The details did not matter in Marcellus' case, the racist jury selection, the mishandling of evidence, and the fact that the family of the victim didn’t even want Marcellus to face the death penalty. All of that was thrown to the side because one white man said so.
I write this with a heavy heart, but forever hopeful. Every time a blatant form of injustice takes place I pray that it will be the last. That no more lives will be lost, and that this will finally be enough for meaningful change to come. I pray that one more time.
I want to have faith in our system too.
Rest in power, Marcellus Khaliifa Williams.
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