A Verdict Is Not Always Affected By Racism
On June 1, 2026 Richard Chow was found not guilty of any criminal act in regards to the shooting/homicide of Cyrus Carmack-Belton. This was in spite of him running after him and shooting him while he was running away. And even worse, this happened in South Carolina — where the specter of racism still looms heavily. There is a collective outrage over this and it is hard to say that it is not justified.
Now, let’s fast forward to a little more than a week later, on June 9, 2026 where a Texas jury found 19 year-old Karmelo Anthony guilty of murder and sentenced to 35 years in prison. The outrage has also bubbled up about this case too, and the Black community is the U.S. is feeling especially sensitive right now. I think that Mr. Sterling Hospedales said it well in his post on LinkedIn:
Two cases; two very different outcomes. Sadly it goes without saying that the media is having a field day — with little to no regard as to the slant that they put on the stories. The truth is that the media, therefore the public, don’t really care about the legal details of these cases. They are far too focused on the racial narrative that is being created. Because it is much easier to publish some pictures and get clicks and eyeballs on your story — by pairing it with a sensationalist title. And then the larger society is just off to the races with it all.
But to me it is scary to see that almost no one is taking a pause here to look at the root cause of all of this. In the first instance, you do have racism — but the racism started long before anyone stepped in a courtroom. Richard Chow had a history of attacking Black customers. And this is a man who is dependent upon the Black community for his livelihood. So him beating a murder charge is just the tip of the iceberg here. No one should stand for exploitation. The community that this man will be free to live in should make his life a living hell. Karma is a bitch I tell you!
Now when it comes to Karmelo Anthony, the real issue isn’t that there wasn’t a Black person on the jury, but the excessive sentence of 35 years. Even as frustrating and unfair as that is though, you have younger defendants who have been sentenced to way worse – including death row. As unfair as Karmelo’s sentence is, he still has a chance to live a life outside of prison. If anything, this should be a wake-up call in regards to the unjust sentencing of juveniles; even though Karmelo’s sentence doesn’t even lie on the far end of that spectrum. My personal opinion (which doesn’t count for much) is that Karmelo should be punished — but 10 years or less would have been sufficient.
When people get used to preferential treatment, equal treatment seems like discrimination.
Thomas Sowell
The fact that the U.S. ‘justice’ system is broken is not a racial issue. By saying this, I don’t imply that Black lives don’t matter. You can care about both causes at once. But don’t be delusional and think that the justice system’s issues only effect Black people. Not only is this not true but it lessens the focus and the momentum that there could be to effect a change. And that is really the biggest tragedy of all.
