In the unrelenting heat of the early morning sun, a lone figure is spotted testing his limits. Clad only in denim shorts, he’s straining against his bonds, his arms tied to the bar of a barb wire fence and his feet anchored to it. The punishing heat has caused his bare skin to gleam with sweat, while a look of agony contorts his face.
For so many young men, particularly those in rural America, the criminal justice system is utterly inescapable—it isn’t an opportunity for rehabilitation or retribution; it’s a way to strip them of their dignity and reputation with public humiliation. To those living this reality, it’ll feel like a dreaded horror movie rather than what should have been a fair and just court process.
The protagonist of our narrative, seemingly on the brink of facing a misdemeanor charge, has already been criminalized in the eyes of the law. The young man’s ignoble encounter with the police denied him any basic civility, from being unable to make a humble phone call to the refusal of his request for an attorney. Eventually, he was lead to a fence where he was forced to disrobe and be tied up. It was a harrowing and degrading experience.
The hours that stretch out for the young man seem to never end. All he can do is bear the relentless buzzing of insects, his scorched skin from the blistering heat, and his pesky thirst as dehydration sets in. Eventually, the officers come back and sever his binds with one swift cut before he is carted off to county jail in a police car.
Many youth in the countryside of America are not given the respect they deserve, simply because of their place in the socioeconomic hierarchy. If, on top of that, they are of a darker complexion, the injustice only amplifies. In essence, these kids are being deprived of their human dignity due to nothing else than their lack of power and fortune.
They are not bad people; they have been dealt a cruel hand. They have been defined as animals merely because of a prejudiced and biased system. This inequitable set-up designates all those in destitute circumstances as mere beasts.
This system does not prioritize the well-being of these young men; it seeks to debilitate and belittle them. It is created to render them powerless and unworthy of basic respect. The system is deliberately engineered to strip them of their humanity.
The individuals in question are not to be seen as bad guys – they have simply become casualties.
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Post time: 2023-06-20