Where is the outrage when Genarlow Wilson sits languishing in Prison even after the judge has vacated his conviction, and the GA Attorney General refuses to follow the judge’s order? On June 12th 2007, a Georgia judge ruled in favor of Genarlow Wilson, a 17 year old black male sentenced to 10 years in prison for receiving oral sex from a consenting 17 year old white female, who in fact admits she initiated the act.
There has been some coverage here and there in the media, but on the whole it has been a footnote. While all the media rants and raves about Paris Hilton, this is a real case of miscarriage of justice, and yet, the outrage just isn’t there, nor is the media coverage. One thing I cannot even begin to fathom is why no one media house has even bothered to juxtapose this story or perhaps the case of Pedro Guzman illegally deported by the same LA County sheriff's Department, with the so-called unfair treatment of Paris Hilton. Would this sort of legal wrangling go on in a case involving white kids, and if it did, would it go on without ample media coverage and outrage to boot, as in the case of the Duke Lacrosse rape case?
Why has tmz.com become the all round expert in everything from mental health to the constitution with regard to Paris Hilton. Why can’t any of the media houses go out there and get some real stories about other people in the LA county jail system in similar situations as Paris Hilton, of which I am sure there are many and compare whether indeed she is being treated unfairly. No instead, they just sit at their desks and check out tmz.com, and haul in Harvey Levin for interviews, on talk show after talk show, news bulletin after news bulletin. Are there no researchers at these stations? Are there no mental health, legal or corrections experts available to MSNBC, CNN et al? Why has no news bulletin even bothered to take the opportunity presented by this whole debacle to make any real news about the general miscarriage of justice that goes on all the time? I don’t think that the public - and I may be overestimating the American public, not being a native - but, I honestly can’t really believe or even begin to imagine that the US public is as interested in Paris Hilton as the media is. I put the blame squarely on the media for this non-news. Quite frankly, I feel quite confident that if the media houses covered real news, people would still tune in and the US public might even get to be really informed.
The judge’s ruling should have meant the immediate release of Wilson from prison. But that was not to be. The GA attorney general appealed the ruling, which means that Wilson will have to remain in jail while this case is brought to court. It is claimed that the AG, is not at fault and his appeal is not racially motivated, but rather he is opposed to what he says was the judge overstepping his jurisdiction! This case is as appalling as it is mindlessly unjust. Why use this unfortunate and unjust case to take on the abuse of power of judges, while continuing to punish an innocent young man, who did what billions of teenagers across the globe do every day and even worse! Why, when even the AG agrees that this case is unjust. What is the message here? Is it not quite frankly that Genarlow Wilson, as a young black man is quite inconsequential, and anyone coming along with anything to prove or any bone to pick can use him and his unfortunate situation with no fear of any sort of consequences? And where does this overzealousness on the part of Georgia law enforcement come from. Is it not quite simply racially motivated? What if Wilson was not the honors student that he was? Would this story even have ever made the news? How many young black males languish for years in the US jail system for mindless acts of miscarriage of justice such as this? MSNBC, Lockup is an interesting look at the prison system, but how about some real true investigative journalism on something that is not a mere easy sell?
