Poetic Justice

By now news that a fellow prisoner unleashed a beat down on Dylann Roof is moving faster than track and field athletes in Rio. The accused killer of the nine Black church members at Emanuel AME in Charleston is facing the death penalty and Dwayne Stafford, jailed for armed robbery, decided to help the judicial system mete out punishment. The same goes for George Zimmerman who was punched in the face by a restaurant customer after the former neighborhood watchman bragged that he “killed” 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

Sociologist Veronica Newton says, “My initial reaction is: retribution. Many African Americans and people of color have very little to, no faith in the criminal justice system; especially regarding recent events where Blacks have been killed by police officers such as Freddie Gray and Eric Garner and yet the courts do not indict the police on any charges or they were found not guilty.”

Social media grabbed the news and the reactions have been swift and sure. Some have pledged money to Stafford’s commissary fund. Others have celebrated him and the restaurant customer who hit Zimmerman.

“I would also argue that people feel represented (symbolically) in that action of punching Dylann Roof because people are so angry, saddened and frustrated with injustice within the justice system,” Newton explains.

No doubt, there is a wealth of frustration in Black America. The question is often asked, “How is it that police officers who are paid to protect and serve are allowed to kill without punishment?” Newton points to the history of police departments.

She states, “We didn’t have police officers until post-Emancipation. Before that time, there were slave hunters who were hired by slave owners to find enslaved Blacks who ran away. When slavery ended, the system had to find another way to police Blackness. That’s when police and municipalities popped up.”
Perhaps, these incidents of citizens “taking matters into their own hands” is a sign of what’s next. Newton calls up memories of the Black Panthers who believed “police the police” and “Black lives protecting Black Lives.” She and others fluent in urban history see the need for new federal laws to tame the abuse of discretion often found in local police departments.

In meantime, Dwayne Stafford is a free man, bonded out of jail by those who wanted to thank him for landing a few blows for justice.