Four black teens were fundraising for their high school football team. A white woman held them at gunpoint.
Yet again, black people are told they must justify their existence or risk being shot. And despite her actions, the police department is treating someone that clearly committed a crime with leniency. I wonder how many people being booked get to leave without their mugshot being taken due to a "medical emergency." What's worse is the new get out of jail free claim is to say you "feared for your safety," which gives you a free pass to shoot someone. These laws need to change.
Four black teenagers were going door to door early this month, looking to raise money for their high school football team in Wynne, Arkansas. When they approached the home of Jerri Kelly, she held them on the ground at gunpoint until police arrived.
Kelly, 46, attempted to explain herself, saying she heard a dog barking and the boys walking through the neighborhood. She said she feared for her safety after a prior home invasion. She gestured to the boys' skin and then her own, and said, "It ain't about that," according to the police report.
A warrant was put out for Kelly's arrest, but she turned herself in Monday evening and was released that night on a $10,000 bond. A headshot was not initially taken, apparently because Kelly had a "medical emergency" as she was being booked.
"She was afforded the same booking process and procedures as anyone that's brought into our facility," Cross County Sheriff's Department Captain Jeff Nichols said. "She received no preferential treatment."
Yet again, black people are told they must justify their existence or risk being shot. And despite her actions, the police department is treating someone that clearly committed a crime with leniency. I wonder how many people being booked get to leave without their mugshot being taken due to a "medical emergency." What's worse is the new get out of jail free claim is to say you "feared for your safety," which gives you a free pass to shoot someone. These laws need to change.