the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Aug 19, 2024
Michael Jackson-Bolanos was acquitted by a jury of the murder of Samantha Woll in Detroit, yet a judge sentenced him to as much as 15 years for lying to police. Woll was stabbed inside her home and died outside it.
During the trial, prosecutors placed Jackson-Bolanos in the area of the crime, showing surveillance video of him breaking into vehicles and stealing from them. When he was interviewed by police, he initially said he didn’t see Woll’s body, but after police found a small amount of her blood on his jacket and backpack, he admitted he had. He testified that he checked her pulse in her neck, and after realizing she was dead, he fled the area. As a black man, he feared correctly that he would be blamed for her death.
There were too many holes in the prosecution’s case to convince a jury of Jackson-Bolanos’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. A former boyfriend of Woll’s confessed to the crime, but later attributed the confession to a psychotic episode due to a new drug he’d been prescribed by his doctor. The prosecution granted him immunity for his testimony, so he can’t be charged for lying to police like Jackson-Bolanos was.
Feeling pressure from Woll’s family and friends to punish someone for her death, the judge sentenced Jackson-Bolanos, a small-time petty thief, to up to three times the usual maximum sentence for “lying to police.”
In how many situations does this same thing happen? The jails are full of black men locked up for similar “reasoning.” A travesty!