Exceptional Injustices

Awoke today w/o plans for any activity beyond chilling, but the never-ending horror of murdering racist scum cannot be suppressed forever. (Although 50 yrs. of suppression appears possible.)

Today's horror: Not only were four girls murdered 50 yrs. ago, but two teen-aged boys were shot in cold blood in the streets of Birmingham the same day, 15 September 1963.

Thirteen-year-old Virgil Ware was riding on the handlebars of his brother James’ bicycle when he was fatally shot by white teens — Eagle Scouts — who had just come from a segregationist rally. As the story goes, Larry Sims was holding Michael Farley’s gun when they saw the Ware brothers. They decided to “scare” the boys and Sims fired two shots. Ware was hit in the chest and cheek. The young teen, who had just picked up a newspaper route, died in his brother’s arms.

Sims and Farley, both 16 at the time of the murder, were convicted of second-degree manslaughter. They were sentenced to seven months in jail, but a judge ultimately suspended their sentences giving them only two years’ probation for Ware’s death.

Johnny Robinson also died that day. Outraged about the bombing, Robinson, 16, and other black youth were participating in a demonstration when they were confronted by white teens driving by and hurling racial slurs. According to reports, the black youth threw rocks at the car which was draped in a confederate flag. When the police pulled up, the crowd scattered. As Robinson ran, he was shot in the back by police officer Jack Parker.

Two grand juries refused to bring Parker to trial and no one was ever prosecuted for Robinson’s death. His story went largely unnoticed for years until the FBI opened a slew of cold cases in 2009.

Today, 50 years after their deaths, Ware and Robinson’s stories are finally being told alongside that of the four little girls.

Cue the chorus of assholes praising exceptional, special, wonderful justice-for-all America. Once that's over, we can restart Reconstruction, in Birmingham. Burn it to the ground, plow the ashes under & salt the land, that nothing grow there again.