Dear Karmelo

Dear Karmelo,

So as you of course know by now the world has been on fire ever since your trial concluded and you were sentenced to 35 years in prison. I have to say I wasn’t shocked or hurt by your conviction. Not to sound negative, but I had already mentally prepared myself for the foreseeable outcome of your case.

I remember when the story first broke of what happened. Someone unjustly put their hands on you, you defended yourself and the person ended up dead. Because this guy Austin was white and you are Black I already knew how the case was gonna end. As a young Black male myself I’ve learned to focus on the bigger picture with a clear understanding of who we are and where we stand in this nation that was never made for us. Like in the case of the young brother Trayvon Martin, a young Black male can be chased down and shot dead over something he wasn’t guilty of and the justified excuse for his killer is well he defended his self against his attacker very efficiently, so deadly force was necessary.

You Karmelo were of course not given such grace. You were invited somewhere and harm was sought to be done to you and you defended yourself. This self defense in the end left your attacker deceased. When I first heard this story as the news broke, I genuinely proud of you, young brother. You stood on business and defended yourself against an unjustly attack, but in the end I also knew what the outcome to this justice would be. I knew you wouldn’t get justice in the court of law. Hell, I knew you weren’t even going to be judged by a jury of your peers. Because I had already reconciled all of this in my own mind I wasn’t mad when I heard the verdict of your case. Black people don’t get traditional justice the way America claims to uphold it, the American way is just not for us. I understand perfectly what Malcolm X meant when he said we weren’t Americans, we are just Africans who live in America.

The constitution wasn’t written for us, so we should never expect to gain anything from its mandates. So look where we are now. The verdict is in and everyone of us who support you are in the expected frenzy. Social media is lit up with the fiery responses to your guilty verdict and of course America’s bigotry and prejudice has risen to the surface to defend the injustice done to you as expected. But something else is happening, Karmelo. Something beyond words and emotions, actions. Many have decided to know longer verbalize our heartache at what’s happened to you. People have started to take action. The type of actions that can have a real effect beyond the world of just marching and chanting.

Some of the biggest names in the world of celebrity have started raising money to to get you an appeal and a lot of people have joined them in solidarity to fight for you. I know this letter will never reach you, but if you were to see it I’d want it to inspire you to keep your head up Karmelo. Justice hasn’t been done and it’s not over for you. America may not have given you justice in the way that you deserve, but that justice will come in due time and at the right moment. Countless people from every background continue to fight. We stand by you Karmelo and I’m believing and declaring that you will get justice.