Fri Jun 15, 2007 — by Michael Davis

MICHAEL DAVIS: My Fair Lady

Straight, No Chaser #18

What the flying FISH is wrong with this country? Some ass wipe D.A in Georgia put a black teenager named Genarlow Wilson in prison for ten years. This kid did not kill anybody or rob anybody nor did he rape anybody. He did what teenagers have been doing since caveman days; he had consensual relations with another teenager. So this A-student star athlete was sentenced to jail for 10 years.

10 years?? An A student? Star athlete? Never in any trouble, his whole life in front of him. So he and another teenager do something a zillion other teenagers do and he gets 10 years in prison????

What the Hell is wrong with this country? Or is it just some idiot racist D.A. using his power to kill some kids dream and life. No. I don’t think you should “do it” when you are kids. But they were kids – that what kids do!! Did he rob some body? Did he kill somebody? Did he rape somebody?

NO!

He had consensual relations with another teenager. Oh by the way it was not the “act” that they did. No, they fooled around but did not do the ‘”act.”

Wrong? Yes. Is this what teenagers’ do? Yes.

Hey, judge and D.A of this Georgia case. Could you not give the kid community service, or 30 days or something that reflected the fact that this kid (these kids) were just being kids? No. You and your self-important moral ideals had to teach an A student a lesson by putting him in jail for 10 years. Why did you prosecute him in the first place? Had a bad day? This payback for O.J?  Nothing on TV that day? Had a fight with the wife? Had a fight with your sister? By the way, I hear that may be one fight, you backwoods moron.

What does putting a teenager in jail for being a teenager accomplish? What? Who are you sending a message to? And what is your message? Could your message be “We are just really stupid and are still pissed that we lost the Civil War?” Is that the message?

If by some miracle when you were a teenager you had a girlfriend and you guys got a little freaky, do you think you should have gone to jail?

What crime are you punishing? What evil have you stopped? You have stopped a young bright kid from living his dream. You have stopped a young bright kid from becoming a useful part of society. Instead you have put him in jail where he will learn a helpful lesson. That lesson is that justice is NOT colorblind and you the judge and the jury have used your power to ruin a good life.

I ask you again, what does putting that kid in jail accomplish?

What? What? WHAT?

I have met plenty of people from the south and most are kind and really cool to hang out with. But it seems to me that you Mr. D.A. and Mr. Judge are the reason that people still think the south is a bunch of inbreeding good old boys who marry their sisters and have two teeth in their mouth. Hey, why don’t you come to New York on vacation? Make sure you wear that confederate flag jacket you like so much when you are sightseeing in Harlem.

Or if you are in L.A. come by my house. I know a bunch of A students who would love to teach you a lesson. I may be wrong and this may have nothing to do with racism. You just may be stupid. But just in case it is racist I want you to know that white women LOVE me.

The Genarlow Wilson case started some years ago, but this week the kid was released from prison after two and a half years. So what does the D.A. do? Does he just let it go? Does he give this kid back his life? Does he let the kid go home to his family?

No. He appeals the kid’s release and the kid remains in jail. This A student, who has never been in trouble with the law, this good kid, star athlete is back in jail.

FOR WHAT???

Hey Mr. D.A. when I was 17 I kissed a white girl. You coming to L.A. to arrest me?  What?  You don’t have any juice here? Too bad for you, eh?  Well, in any case, I have some suggestions for you.

1)    Walk off a cliff
2)    Burn in Hell
3)    Walk off a cliff while you burn in Hell

Feel free to take me up on any or all of those suggestions. You can take the judge and the jury with you so as not to be lonely.

I cannot believe I was thinking about buying a home in Atlanta. I should pimp slap my self. With all due respect to my black brothers and sisters in one of the coolest cities on the planet, I feel sorry for you having to deal with that type of justice system.

WAIT!! What I am saying?? I live in L.A. where things are just as bad. So feel free to feel sorry for me! When it comes to justice for black people L.A. stands for Lower Alabama. 

All this ranting brings me to the point of this popular culture column. The glaring difference between this young man and our favorite popular culture queen, Paris Hilton.

Long time readers of mine know that I have been on her back way before her recent troubles. Last week the entire country watched as this spoiled brat was let out of jail only to be ordered back to jail the next day. I won’t get into the double standard that this implies. I mean I won’t bring up how I spent time in jail once when I was swept up in a gang round up. No I won’t tell you how I and my Armani suit was told at gun point to get in a police van because I “fit the description.”  Yes, I fit the gang description while wearing a $2200.00 Armani suit. I won’t tell you how I was coming from a New Year’s Eve party and I was arrested in a gang sweep while I was leaving a 4-star restaurant in that suit. Nope, I won’t tell you that.

I will tell you that last week the whole world watched Ms. Hilton’s ride from her home to the courthouse. Not since OJ has a road trip captured the attention of the world. What were we looking at? Some no talent rich kid who the entire world has seen naked on an Internet videotape. The police car she was in was chased down a street by the media.

Chased…down…the…street.

So, this no talent rich kid who has contributed NOTHING to the world (well nothing except a sex tape, which frankly was not very impressive) gets chased by a zillion reporters so the world can see her plight.

And why do we care? She has no talent. She has contributed nothing to the world.

Well, I care. Why do I care?

I care because it points out the GLARING prejudice that exists in the criminal justice system in L.A. and if you look at the Genarlow Wilson case, the prejudice in this country. We all know by now that Ms. Hilton was let out of jail three days after she went in. Three days. Genarlow Wilson was sentenced to 10 years and spent almost three years in jail before he was released. As I write this he is back in jail because the D.A. appealed his release.

Let’s look at each ordeal beginning with the Wilson case. He had consensual relations with a teenager when he himself was a teenager. He was an A student and had never been in trouble with the law. He is black and poor. She drove drunk and was caught driving TWICE while she was on probation. She showed up late to court and told the judge, she was too busy to pay attention to her probation. She is rich and white. You do the math.

I am not going to get into all the ways this is wrong. You are not stupid people, unless you are a certain D.A. or Judge from Georgia then my pit bull is smarter than you and he sometimes eats his poo.  Instead let’s move pass the Paris Hilton and Genarlow Wilson case.

I have a suggestion. Let’s see if we can start a movement where we chase people down the street because they have contributed something to the world. Let’s see if we can elevate people who deserve it. Why don’t we chase that teacher who took you aside and talked to you down the street? How about chasing that sibling who saved you from a butt kicking or two? 

Let’s keep this within the range of our common interest. How’s this, the next time you see Kevin Eastman, chase his ass down the street for recognition of a great career. I will personally chase Joe Quesada down the street because of the great job he has done making Marvel the house of ideas again. At San Diego Comic Con let’s all chase Mike Richardson down the street for daring to do things his way. For those of you who don’t read comics, how about you chase some firemen down the street? I’ll let you chase the police down the street. I live in L.A. and I’m black, I would most likely get shot by trying that stunt.

While we start this movement let’s also look to start another one. When Paris was ordered back to jail she screamed, “It’s not fair!?”

Fair?

She was right but not in the way she thought. Let’s listen to Paris and start a ‘fair’ movement. First step (listen up Mr. D.A. and Judge) is we give real thought to what we do, so that’s it FAIR.

Let’s see? What can I use as an example? I know! I’ll use the Genarlow Wilson case! How about the next time two teenagers engaged in stupid yet normal behavior let’s do something that will really make an impact– tell their mothers!

What other example can we use for fairness? I know! The Paris Hilton case!

The next time some rich cow gets in her car and drives drunk. How about we put her in jail RIGHT AWAY? That way we won’t have to worry about her ignoring her probation or showing up late for court. PLUS!! We can keep a drunk driver off the streets! Also it may make the country think that justice is colorblind. Oh by the way, Paris is not serving her time in the 6x9 cell that EVERY ONE else is. No she’s serving her time in a 120-foot hospital room in the jail. Paris has said that she now wants to set an example for the young people who look up to her and be treated like every one else. I am so happy to hear that!!

I have an idea on how you can do that Paris, why don’t we put you into the general population so you can meet some of the same type of folk who right now are talking to Genarlow Wilson?

How’s that for fair, Paris? Is that hot?

Michael Davis is a comics creator and the founder of the Guardian Line series of comics as well as being a television producer and writer. He was a co-founder of Milestone Comics and his artwork has appeared in Wasteland, Green Arrow: Shado, Green Hornet and The Question, among others.

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