While there are no more all-white restaurants or designated bus seats, recent events have suggested racial bias in the American justice system. The most famous controversy is that of Michael Brown, who was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri on August 9, 2014. There is belief that Brown had been shot because of his skin color.
According to Wilson, there had been a struggle for the gun through the window of his car. Brown had supposedly been attacking the officer, and the shots were then fired in “self-defense." However, in an autopsy report released by the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Brown had been shot not once, twice, or thrice, but six times. Gunshot wounds were found on the right side of his forehead, upper right chest, lateral right chest, right forearm, and twice on his upper right arm. The trajectory of almost every gunshot was downwards—which would only be possible if he had been on his knees, not attacking Wilson through the window of a car. The autopsy report ruled Brown’s death to be a homicide. Because of conflicting accounts of witnesses and lack of evidence, the Grand Jury chose not to indict Darren Wilson. This sparked outrage across the country.
Three months later, a twelve-year-old boy named Tamir Rice died in a similar fashion. According to a 911 call made on November 22, 2014, the young boy was seen pointing a pistol at random people in a park. The caller clarified that the gun looked fake (it was later proved that the weapon was an airsoft replica, though without an orange tip). The dispatcher asked twice whether Rice was “black or white” before sending officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback to the scene, and neglected to tell either that the gun was not real.
Police reports say that upon arriving, Loehmann and Garmback ordered Rice to hold up his hands, to which he refused, and then reached towards his waist where the gun was holstered. This supposedly prompted Loehmann to shoot twice at the boy, hitting him once in the torso and killing him.
After public pressure, a video surveillance of the shooting was released on November 26, 2014. It shows Rice walking in the park, talking on the phone and occasionally extending his arm with what appears to be a gun in his hand. The young boy sits down in a gazebo; the police’s patrol car then rolls up. Rice moves his right hand towards his waist, prompting Loehmann to exit the patrol car and shoot him from within ten feet, in a time of less than two seconds. Rice was taken to the hospital about seven minutes later.
Bias is clear in all aspects of this incident. Before the 911 dispatcher had sent any help, he felt the need to ask the race of the young boy—as if it would make a difference in the type of help he would receive. Rice did not take out his gun, or threaten the officers verbally. Neither of the two police officers tried to see if the gun was real or if it could be confiscated before violent confrontation occurred. As a result, a twelve-year-old boy was killed. Even after the shooting, neither of the officers attempted to administer first aid.
Here lie the questions: If Tamir Rice were white, would he have received first aid? Would the officers have waited longer to shoot at him? Would they even have shot him in the first place? Did Loehmann see Rice as a threat because of the stereotypes associated with his skin color? It is troubling to hear about such incidents where mere children may be killed solely because of paranoia and racial bias, especially in the justice system that is supposed to keep us safe.
America tends to fall into the habit of referring to sexism and racism as past-tense subjects. We are taught that we live in a country that promotes justice and equality. However, it seems to be the opposite. Until people of all gender identities, skin colors, sexual orientations, religious groups, and social classes are treated equally, the Pledge of Allegiance stands false. There is no true liberty and justice for all—and perhaps there never will be.