One of the biggest "news" this week, if not, the biggest, has been the Paris Hilton Jail Saga. Now honestly, it's good to see a feel good, comedic story among news such as war threats from Russia and terrorist plots on JFK. But quiet frankly, I, like probably the rest of the world, don't really care about her situation.
Politically though it has showed that not all upper class individuals can get their way--including the law, but it shows that they sure can try and almost get away with it at that.
But the biggest non-violent related, felony-charged, court case appeal decision of the week will come with a more tremendous penalty--10 years. And this court case happens to be one that has fallen under the radar. It is a case, and an appeal that holds more weight that Paris' 45 day "struggle" for violating probation, because it's deals with a common situation--"what if the law was wrong for condemning me as a felon and it cost me years of my life?"
His Video
In 2003 in Atlanta, Georgia, Genarlow Wilson, then 17, was convicted of child molestation for having consensual oral sex with a 15yr old. According to a out-dated criminal statute (dated 1776 mind you); any person under the age of 16 performing oral sex, the person receiving it is guilty of aggravated child molestation, no matter how old they are. This comes with a minimum sentence of 10 MANDATORY years in prison. 10 cot-damn years. What's worse is, he has no past criminal or violent history, but yet he's placed among murderers, rapist, and other sick-ass criminals. But the one thing that truly hurts the most is, if he would've had sex with the girl, it would have only been a misdemeanor. If that's not the most horrible shit you ever heard in terms of the law, I don't know what is.
It gets even better from there, because as of 2006, that law was modified to prevent something like this from re-occurring, but it didn't save Wilson at all because it can't be applied to the 2003 decision. Supposedly this week, a Judge will take a look at this appeal, and hopefully make the correct decision to this unfair situation.
This is what Paris (and others that have taken advantage of their celebrity of status to benefit from jail-sentencing) don't understand. That there are more important fights against the law out there. They want to talk about how the law in unfair to them? Try being poor, of ethnic background, with no social power at all. Those battles are far more important, not because jail time will ruin their image, or endorsement deals, or get them suspended by their league, nah! It's because they clearly shouldn't be in jail.
Here's some common sense advice to those with celebrity status, whether socialite, movie star or athlete--stop doing dumb shit.
From everyone at Bka, G Keep ya head.
For more on Genarlow Wilson:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genarlow_Wilson
http://www.wilsonappeal.com/index.php
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