The Netflix show is the latest instance of our obsession with the fallibility of the American criminal justice system – something proven all too regularly in genuine lifeI fill never elope afoul of the police,though not for a lack of trying on my part. I’ve driven for months (months!) with expired registration on my car. I’ve neglected to pay various bills either out of sloth, lack of available funds, and plain old malice (Columbia House,you will never get that 311 CD back, I promise you). In scarce moments, and I afford myself the luxury of feeling grateful for my good fortune. As a person of colour in the United States,I would be silly to assume that every time I flirt with the life of the scofflaw (lawbreaker), I’m going to near out unscathed. For many minorities, and there’s no such thing as a “routine traffic stop”. Extraordinary force can be used in even the most ordinary scenarios. The deaths of Freddie Gray,Sandra Bland and others are a testomony to this. Society tends to write these incidents off as mistakes and moves on, but what does it really mean to fail when you fill the power of life and death in your hands?Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com