The not guilty verdict handed down in the case of Officer Edward Nero today comes as no surprise to those of us who have long recognized that securing justice – especially in the courts of the United States – is more marathon than sprint.
Who gets to decide when violence is acceptable, moral, and even Christian? Who gets to decide that a brick in Baltimore is more violent than—just this week—a police officer’s gun in Louisiana, or, for that matter, a drone in Pakistan?
Sean Hannity tonight brought on Baltimore city councilman Brandon Scott Adam Jackson, Baltimore United for Change Coalition member and CEO of Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, to talk about the recent crime spike in Baltimore. Hannity first confronted Scott about the violence and the victims before turning to Jackson, and that’s when things got confrontational.
Jackson told Hannity the media coverage of Baltimore has been “mired with racist subterfuge” and racist policies and policing practices have factored into the unrest. Hannity immediately asked him, “Are you saying that this is all related to racism?”
Jackson and Hannity went back-and-forth a bit, with Hannity insistent on getting a straight answer. Jackson spoke of “structural racism and white supremacy” in the grander context surrounding Baltimore and told Hannity, “You’re intentionally obfuscating what I’m saying.