Ugliness

Before Miss Ginger jets off to Vegas for a weekend of vodka and slots with her brother,  she feels compelled to comment upon the ugliness that's going on in Houston right now.  It saddens her to see this going in her world, much less in her own beautiful city!

So, here's the story in a nutshell- you can read more on chron.com and get the names and details if you're interested. 

Some Afrian American kids stole some shit.  The cops came.  The cops chased the kids, and there is video of the cops pinning the first kid down.  The kid was convicted, and now says that a cop kicked him and stomped his head and used excessive force. The city conducted an investigation and fired the cop. The cop was tried for using excessive force, and an all-white jury acquited him.

Let Miss Ginger say, first and foremost, that she has absolutely no idea what happened in the moment.  She has not viewed the video, and even if she had, her opinion wouldn't matter.  The jury determined that they could not disprove from viewing the video the cop's claim that he used his foot to brush the boy's hand toward his hand in order to grasp it and secure it behind his head.  That action, apparently, would be considered "normal force" in the course of the cop's business.

Let her also say that she wants very much to trust the judicial system.  Fortunately for her, she has never found herself in the situation of having her integrity determined by a jury of her peers.  She's not exactly sure how she would feel if she ever found herself in that predicament. Hopefully, she never will.

She can't help but feel, however, that something is clearly broken, and this case demonstrates her point to a "T".  In her mind, it is the judge's responsibility to ensure that the trials that happen in his court are handled in a manner above reproach.  How can any judge, in good faith, allow a jury to be formed that appear homogeneous in any manner?  A jury should represent a cross-section of the population, and I can promise you that the population of Harris County is not 100% white.  That alone, in Miss G's mind, is enough to declare a mistrial.

The ugliness got even worse the day after the trial.  Quanel X, a notable African American activist in Houston, along with 3 respected African American pastors in the city, scheduled a meeting with District Attorny Pat Lykos to discuss their thoughts on the case and get her take on it.  From what she has read, Miss Ginger gathers that not a lot was accomplished in this meeting, but she commends Quanel and his friends for speaking up and opening a dialogue in a respectful, well-intended manner.

On the flipside of dignity and respect, ex- City Councilwoman Jolanda Jones made and ass of herself, cursing at Quanel for not including her in the meeting.  WTF?  You want to meet with the DA?  Schedule your own damn meeting!

So, an indignant Jolanda and her friends from an African American rights group swarmed the DA's office, lying on the floor in the hallway and disrupting the business of the entire DA's office. Again, WTF?!  Is your command of the English language so poor that you can't approach the DA in a dignified manner, request a block of her time, and share your thoughts and hear her insight on the case? No wonder Quanel didn't want you on his team!

Miss Ginger finds herself torn to form an opinion on the case, but she sure has formed one about Jolanda and her embarassing ilk!