Keefe Williams

I would like to talk about a justice system that needs to be fixed. Exhibit A: The Danger Outside: For decades, we have talked to our boys about the threat of being unfairly targeted by law enforcement. Last spring, the shooting of an unarmed black teen by a neighborhood watch volunteer racheted up the stakes, sparking national debate over racial profiling and a law that initially allowed the shooter to walk free (the shooter was arrested 6 weeks later). As emotions continue to swirl, what should we be telling our young men about how to keep themselves safe? Sons we have lost- these young men were all unarmed at the time they were killed: Trayvon Martin, 17, killed in 2012; Emmett Till, 14, killed in 1955; Jonny Gammage, 31, killed in 1995; Amadou Diallo, 23, killed in 1999, Patrick Dorismond, 26, killed in 2000; Timothy Stansbury, Jr., 19, killed in 2004; Sean Bell, 23, killed in 2008; Oscar Grant, 23, killed in 2009; Danroy Henry, 20, killed in 2010; Ramarley Graham, 18, killed in 2011; Kendrec McDade, 19, killed in 2012. (The Danger Outside, Jeannine Amber, Essence June 2012). Exhibit B: Kennth Kagonyera and Robert Wilcoxson, who spent a decade in prison over a murder that they didn’t commit, were set free on September 22, 2011. Justice should not take 10 years in any case.