If a law based on perceived fear can be used as an excuse to murder, shouldn’t a substance test be issued immediately to the shooter to confirm they didn’t have an altered perception of reality?
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Aiming to be the next great change agent in the field of criminal justice and sociology, a 20 year-old black male named Juwan Z. Bennett says with the majority of crimes taking place in America categorized as property crimes, a law like Stand Your Ground – given that the constitution already gives citizens the right to bear arms – is unnecessary, thus taxpayers should demand it be repealed. However, if cries fall on deaf ears, he says the public then should request a compromise: “Augment the law to mandate a substance test be issued immediately to the person claiming to have stood their ground.”
It should be noted that in addition to Zimmerman not being tested for any controlled substance when he murdered Trayvon Martin in February of 2012, Michael Dunn – who like his fellow overzealous Florida free-shooter, left the safety of his vehicle with a gun on his person, approached an unarmed black boy, murdered him and then claimed self defense – was not given a toxicology screening nor was his possible altered state-of-mind called into question, despite Dunn’s neighbor coming forward and revealing that he’s watched him smoke marijuana and occasionally snort cocaine.
In an exclusive interview with Techbook Online following the verdict being read in the Jordan Davis murder trial, Bennett, an award-winning McNair scholar living in South Philadelphia, says while communities are rallying, a call to action for transparency and centralization in police investigations needs to be made, echoed and amplified.
“Police investigations are not centralized, they’re discretionary,” Bennett informs me, “There’s no centralized policy or method to follow, as you see with George Zimmerman, who was sent home from the scene by the investigating officer. During the trial they asked the detective why he didn’t drug test Zimmerman and he replied: it didn’t seem like we needed to. Anyone who shoots and kills anyone or discharges a firearm at another person should be tested immediately for mind-altering narcotics – their mental health should be up for questioning.”
With a list of unarmed black youth killed by those who said they feared for their life to long to enumerate, many in the black community are questioning: despite having a black commander-in-chief, is it open season on black bodies?
“White people should go to a class or seek therapy or something because they seem to be awfully afraid of black men,” say Bennett, who points out that although he often feels threatened by white people who say racist and derogatory things to him, he knows he doesn’t have the same privilege as Dunn and his white counterparts to stand his ground – a ground by American tradition he supposed to only till, not build upon. “I’m confused, how can you be a black man in America without scaring someone? Society labels you a thug just for raising your voice,” he says, referring to the Richard Sherman interview that went viral after the Stanford University graduate gave an Ultimate Warrior-like response to a question posed by a broadcast journalist.
Although he watched the verdict tonight in the comfort of his home, Bennett says he felt like he was in the ivory tower, as he learned a lesson today often reiterated in the classroom: “every time you go into the courtroom you’re gambling the dice.”
And while the above statement is undisputed, Lady Liberty has proven time and time again – especially with her latest serving of lukewarm apple pie – that African-American men and boys play the ultimate high stakes game: living.
Happy 19th Birthday Jordan Davis! Believe me; you’re in a much better place.
Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® & I’m Drumming for JUSTICE!™
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(Photo Credit: C. Norris – ©2014)