Justice While Black by Robbin Shipp

Author:Robbin Shipp [Shipp, Robbin, Esq.; Chiles, Nick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781572847415
Publisher: Agate Publishing

Chapter 6: Get a Haircut

The Black Male Goes to Trial

JUST A GLIMPSE of the nightly television news in America leaves me drained and depressed. Like a mind-numbing parade of pathology, the brown faces flash across the screen, blurry mug shots capturing the rage and despair of black boys in the richest nation on earth.

When the crime is especially heinous or stupid, I hold my breath, like many African Americans, as the reporter breathlessly describes the scene, always making it sound like the most horrific act that’s ever been committed. Through my mind dances the official black prayer: Lord, please don’t let it be a black man.

But often it is.

Though I feel we are now seeing pictures of white defendants with growing regularity, it sometimes seems as if white people don’t commit crimes—which we know is far from the truth.

As a defense attorney, I know how this black male parade looks to much of the outside world: African-American male = criminal.

So when I am called to represent a black male, one of my primary goals is to make sure my client looks as little as possible like the faces the jury sees in that nightly black-male-crime parade. If I fail, and if the members of my jury look over to my table and believe they see a criminal, my client is doomed. If they see a scared but earnest and honest young man, then we have a chance. I have to make him human to them—to make him look more like their own son or nephew than like those scary guys on the evening news.

Increasingly, a mane of long dreadlocks frames the black male faces on the nightly news. Locs have become the hairstyle of choice for a large swath of urban America—no doubt inspired by rappers like Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz, as well as a slew of professional athletes, particularly in the NFL. Aware of this trend, I now have to take the unfortunate step of making my clients cut off their locs so as to give them the best chance with a jury. I would say the same perception probably arises with hairstyles like braids and cornrows—anything that is immediately attached to urban America.

After getting rid of their hair issues, the next thing I look at is their dress, their fingernails—everything the jury will be able to see. I encourage them to get a manicure and buy a suit in an effort to look as clean-cut as possible. Many young males like to wear their nails long for various and sundry reasons. Many jury members will be aware that a long pinky fingernail might signify a drug user. So the long nails have got to go.

And then there are the tattoos. I’m aware that they have become a virtual must-have accessory among America’s youth—after all, I have a teenage daughter—but it’s undeniable that a body blanketed with tattoos doesn’t give the jury the best impression of a young man. We can cover them up when they’re splashed across

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.