Botham Jean Has Softened My Stance on Black Men

 Written by Ari Christine

I’ve always been tough on black men. Perhaps growing up around so many coddled black males changed my perception of black men and I wasn’t willing to admit that until now.

As I read Allison Jean’s revelations about her beloved son, my angered heart is also becoming a bit softer. According to the grieving mother, her son once told her that he always dressed up because he didn’t want to be stopped. “I don’t want for them to think I’m somebody I’m not,” he told her.  

For years black men have been at the receiving end of both stereotypes and bullets by various members of law enforcement. Whether they were hustling on the street, boasting a less than flattering record or absentee fathers – I wrote my editorials, I felt badly for the families and I acknowledged that we needed some reform amongst trigger-happy police. But in the back of my mind, I always wished that some hadn’t been street hustlers, former criminals and responsible for children that they couldn’t support.

They were indeed victims, but I never felt like they’d get true sympathy because of their respective pasts.

My heart was wrong.

Earlier this year I began thinking about many of the non-black men living around me. I realized that if some of them were killed by police officers while walking down the street, sitting in their cars, or standing in front of the corner store – the world would never know how much money they’re embezzling; the world would never know how much cocaine they snort; the world would never know about the domestic abuse that goes on in their homes; the world would never know about the tax evasion and the prostitution. Why? Because only a black person’s character and mistakes go on trial when we die.

The world and subconsciously even some black people ask ‘what was he/ she doing to put himself in such a position?’

By all indications and stacks of research, Botham Jean was as innocent a victim as one man can be. Within hours of the news breaking, the public had to sexualize his murder by suggesting that he was “giving Amber Guyger some black D” that she just couldn’t live without. On the day of his funeral - law enforcement had to criminalize his home by revealing that 10 grams of marijuana was found, not even suggesting that it could’ve been in possession by Guyger. 15 days later and social media is still trying to analyze Jean’s behavior.

It’s sad to admit, but it took such an innocent and upstanding man like Botham Jean being murdered for us to realize just how hypocritical we are even in the demise of fellow human beings. This case should have been opened and shut in one week. We know the location of the crime. We know who the murderer is. We know that all three versions told by Gugyer still equate to INVASION. We know who the victim was. How much more terrible can we be to the deceased?

When the next unarmed black man is killed by law enforcement, I challenge the masses to consider this: if we were punished by murder in our worst moments, would we deserve to be killed when we cut people off on the freeway? Would our murders be justified if they happened when we judged others because of how they look, smell or because of the sounds of their speech or accent? 

The answer is no. The answer will always be no. And neither would we deserve to be murdered in our own homes.

Regardless of what happens within our biased justice system - Botham Jean did not die in vain. He is teaching us about ourselves - ALL of us.