Kenneth Gleason, a 23-year-old, white male, was arrested last Monday on charges of shooting and killing two unarmed African-American males. In two separate instances, Gleason fired fatal shots from his car at the men on the street, then proceeded to get out of his car, walk up to the victims and continue shooting. Gleason later opened fire on the house of an African-American family in his neighborhood. No one was injured. Upon searching his home, police found that Gleason had a copy of an Adolf Hitler speech. Gleason had no relation to any of the deceased.
To most people, the evidence clearly shows that this was cold-blooded murder with a racial motivation. It is obvious that this man is a racist monster. Yet on several news sites that have reported on these killings, Gleason is in no way portrayed as such. Sources such as The Advocate and The New York Post have both published online articles that portray Gleason as a “clean-cut American kid," and the AP's article about him mentions that he is an Eagle Scout who graduated with honors in its first sentence.
Articles like these have troubled readers through the racial polarity that has resurfaced in America in the past few years. It seems that the media always has something positive to say if a white person commits a crime. Not only are they humanized by having the virtue of a back story, such as reaching the merits of Eagle Scout, but also white criminals often have a flattering photo circulating in the news.
In contrast, many feel that when an African-American person is suspected of committing a crime, the media digs up any dirt that can be found on them and presents the public with a mugshot to further vilify the suspect.
This is not news, as studies have shown that African-American people are wrongly convicted of murder far more often than any other race in the U.S. for decades. In the past, simply accusing a black man of committing a crime was as good as a conviction. However, times are slowly changing, and the culture of presenting facts in an incriminatory fashion needs to end. Just because someone was from a “bad neighborhood” or wore a hoodie, does not mean that they are more capable of committing a violent crime.
At times, the media even stretches so far as to humanize a white suspect while defiling a black victim. In this case, the AP reported in the first paragraph that of the two slain victims, one was homeless and the other was a dishwasher. It is not until you get to the very end of the article that you read that Gleason had had former run-ins with the law for shoplifting. Instead, the article mostly included quotes from Gleason’s family and peers about what a good, quiet guy he is and how unexpected these murders were to everyone.
If this was an African-American suspect, you could surmise that this fact would have been included in the headline. However, because the victims were African-American, they were reduced to a housing status and an occupation.
What is the solution to this issue, you may ask? It’s simple really. As students, we should learn to read between the lines. Don’t take articles at face value, and use a bunch of different sources. It is our job on future juries, in media, on police forces, in politics and in communities at large to make fair assessments of people. It could be the difference between life and death. In this case, Kenneth Gleason could face the death penalty for his actions.