Division among races in celebrity trials is unequal

Tifair Gillepse
Stand up and say somethng...now!

According to Jermaine Jackson, Michael Jackson's older brother, he is experiencing a "modern day lynching".

Many have questioned his remarks on debatable shows, such as "The O'Reily Factor" and CNN. Kobe Bryant, Mike Tyson and O.J. Simpson are other cases that divided decisions among the races. According to a USA Today poll, blacks were 66 percent more likely to support Kobe, while whites were equally split.

Why are African-Americans more likely to stand beside accused black celebrities? When African-American celebrities are accused of any crime, be it rape, molestation or murder, blacks are more likely to take it personally because of the often-confused justice system.

Many blacks have had experience with the viciously imbalanced justice system within their own personal lives, be it through family, friends or the connection of wrongfully convicted criminals in the media. In turn, when black celebrities are shown in the media while being accused of crimes, we are more likely to question the justice system rather than the celebrity being interrogated for their crimes.

Taking a look outside celebrity cases and into the lives of convicted murderers on death row in Illinois, Gov. George Ryan released 156 inmates because of the countless number of loopholes in various cases.

Anthony Porter served 17 years of his life behind bars and was on death row until a group of students from Northwestern investigated the crime, and he was later released along with three other convicted murderers.

According to BBC World News, "He had halted executions three years ago, after courts found that 13 death row inmates had been wrongly convicted since Illinois resumed capital punishment in 1977."

Sequentially, the division of the races on their opinions of convicted high-profile blacks is not solely based on the outward appearance, but rather on the personal experiences that have left bitter tastes about the legal system.

The "modern day lynching" that Jermaine Jackson accused the media of having may have people saying that he is taking things slightly to far.

Michael Jackson has had previous instances in child molestation accusations in 1993, but his mistake was when he announced to the media in a well-publicized interview that he slept with children in his personal bedroom.

This was undeniably playing with fire. And while being such a well-known celebrity with a considerable amount of money, he was making himself available for harsh criticism and future lawsuits. Some have called this a conspiracy against his album release date, which was the same day the Los Angeles police raided his Neverland Ranch.

To totally disregard race and socioeconomic class in the legal system would be blindly ignorant. I would be ecstatic if O.J. Simpson's murder trial and Rush Limbaugh's drug allegations would be handled the same as a crack head off of the streets of Chicago.

Legal injustice has left a staple in the minds of blacks who view this in the media and who have experienced it personally. The court system seemingly does not run on the justice of common humanity, but rather by the mighty dollar that most common convicted criminals lack.

Stand up and say something now appears every Monday. Tifair is a senior in advertising. Her views do not necessarily reflect those of the Daily Egyptian.

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