Justice For Ronald Greene

It has been five years since local resident Ronald Greene allegedly died at the hands of Louisiana State Troopers on a dark Union Parish road. For five long years, a family has been waiting for any semblance of justice so its members can finally feel a sense of closure in a case where others like Greene, who were killed under highly questionable circumstances, have seen those convicted in a court of law. America has a legal system that is, for lack of a better word, complicated, and some may wonder whether that was done by design. Many have said that it is a system that is, on the surface, an unequal one despite what the words may say about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The family of Ronald Greene and many others are "living testaments" to how justice has been denied where families of color are involved. Yes, there have been a few "resolutions" where justice has been served when the acts were committed by law enforcement officers. However, more can and should be done if Lady Justice is truly blind. It should not take five years to bring a conviction against those who swore to uphold the law after seeing evidence of a beating where an unarmed Black man lost his life, bringing back haunting memories of the Rodney King beating. King survived. It didn't change the outcome of the verdict when those officers went to trial. Ronald Greene did not survive his beating. And yet, five years later, no verdict of any kind is in sight. People are asking where is the federal government. Greene's beating was not an isolated incident according to a history of LSP interactions with people of color. The governor knew about Greene's beating almost immediately five years ago, perhaps letting him know that this particular incident would "be different". Even an investigation conducted by members of the Louisiana legislature into Greene's death didn't make a difference because we are still at "square one" five years later. No trial, no convictions, no accountability, no justice. In a nation that "prides" itself as a "Christian one", God is not pleased with what He sees. And we know it.