This Is All The Things You Should Know About The Most Important Case In America Right Now
There have been cases of people using self-defense that have resulted in tragedy and unrightfully cause the victim to be a criminal. Women have made their unimaginable decision to be armed to protect themselves and their loved ones from harm. A 16 year-old named Cyntoia Brown has been given necessary attention from the on-going issue among women affected by sex-trafficking. When she was younger her mother was an alcoholic while pregnant with Cyntoia so she grew up with mental developmental issues. She dropped out of elementary school and ran away from her adopted home at 11 years old. At age 16, Brown was brought into sex-trafficking by a pimp named "Cut-Throat." She was repeatedly drugged and raped by different men daily. Then she was purchased like a slave by a 43 year old child predator named Johnny Allen who worked as a realtor who took her to his home to use her for sexual advances. There’s no doubt 16 year old who has been sexually abused multiple times by older men felt threatened at the moment. In 2004, she found enough courage to fight back and used self-defense with a gun to kill the man. In 2012, she was arrested as result, tried, convicted as an adult and sentenced to life in prison. Cyntoia Brown is now a 29 year old woman who is in federal prison for first-degree murder. She has been sentenced to 60 years in prison and will serve 51 years before she can be considered for patrol when she is 69 years old. Whether you agree or disagree with issues being solved in our government, cases such as these show what a failure of our justice system is. The hashtag #FreeCyntoiaBrown is taking over social media. “Did we somehow change the definition of JUSTICE along the way??,” Rihanna stated on her Instagram on November 21. “Cause….. Something is horribly wrong when the system enables these rapists and the victim is thrown away for life! To each of you responsible for this child’s sentence I hope to God you don’t have children, because this could be your daughter being punished for punishing already! #FREECYNTOIABROWN #HowManyMore.” This can be compared to the news about Brock Turner who received a shorter jail sentence when he raped a college student. There is a lot to gather when the judicial system gives special attention and sensitivity towards people with privilege. Media and social media went into a frenzy about the news of Brock Turner, who is a white male who attended Harvard and was an athlete that was convicted for sexual assault in 2016. However, Cynotia Brown is a black girl from Tennessee, pushed into sex-trafficking. Nevertheless she also received her Associates of Arts Degree from Lipscomb University’s LIFE Program pictured above. Brock Turner raped a college student and received six months in jail. Cynotia Brown is serving a life sentence of killing someone who consistently sexually abused and drugged her. This shows that two people can have the same credentials but treated differently based on privilege of race, class, gender etc.
Filmmaker Daniel Birman was dumbfounded how common violence among youth is, and just how rarely we stop to question our assumptions about it. He made an independent film exploring Brown's self-esteem after years of abuse in the video above. Celebrities as well as Rihanna has shown their support for the victimization of Cynotia Brown. Kim Kardashian got her attorney Shawn Holley to find a way to facilitate her release from prison. A MoveOn.Org petition to free Brown currently has more than 236,000 signatures. You can donate at jpay.com by entering your name, inmate number. All the money goes directly into her commissary for books and other needs. If this issue doesn't get more attention with donations and discussion towards the government of Tennessee this woman might not get out until another 40 years. People may say she "asked for it," by wanting to use a gun to defend herself and use any accounts of this case against her. If someone thinks she deserves this is no better than the judges, DA and those of society that thinks she deserves this punishment if you look at the whole picture of the situation and not solely on that she killed someone and was used in sex-trafficking. You cannot discount the facts of her history of her mental and physical state leading up to where she is today. Can we all agree that Cynotia Brown must be free?
Quote of the Day:
“You’re allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress simultaneously.” —Sophia Bush
