Human, all too human

The ingrained racism and discrimination in American society

On September 6, 2018, Botham Jean, a black male, was gunned down by his white female neighbour Amber Guyger, a four-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department. She shot Jean in the chest, while he was preparing a bowl of ice-cream, after claiming to have entered the wrong apartment thinking it was hers and mistaking Jean for a burglar. The incident sparked a nationwide controversy and questions arose as to what caused an unarmed black man being shot inside his own apartment in Dallas. The road to Guyger’s trial was somewhat rocky with lawyers claiming to move the case out of Dallas as “media hysteria” had created a biased community against her. Others said she was being sheltered as reports claimed the case was to be moved to a county that was likely to produce a whiter and more conservative jury. Both instances limited the possibility of a fair trial. However what was more egregious was the fact that her defence team claimed that Texas’s so called “castle doctrine” applied to Guyger on grounds that she believed that the vicinity was her “castle” giving her the legitimate right to protect herself. This eventually didn’t hold up.

Guygers emotional persona during the trial — breaking down several times on the witness stand and asking God’s forgiveness while weeping — could have been an attempt at emotional manipulation, which worked in her favour. A black court police officer was seen brushing Guyger’s hair while the victims’ brother and the judge consoled her with hugs. “I forgive you… I don’t even want you to go to jail. I want the best for you”, said Jean’s brother. All measures had been taken to defend Guyger. Her 10 year sentence sparked outrage as the community blamed the system for racial discrimination.

The incident shows how ingrained racism and discrimination is in American society. What, one should wonder, would happen if the assailant was a black? 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 10^th, 2019.

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