Come,
Lord Jesus . . . but while we pray and wait . . .
It is that time of year when liturgical
Christians from around the world turn their calendars and attention to that
season known as Advent. Though those
outside the Church think that the Advent season is simply a “pre-Christmas”
time in the Church, we know it to be something far more significant. During that time, we will focus on the coming
of our Lord Christ in glory to complete what He started, the recreation of all
things, during His first time on earth.
Our readings and Collects will point us to the expectation all
Christians should have towards Christ’s return, and our need for His reign in
order to see that God’s righteousness, holiness, and love are fulfilled in
their entirety.
Given that season, it is fitting that
attention is being drawn to a particular miscarriage of justice within the
borders of our own state and diocese and the need for God’s intervening mercy,
grace, and justice in a dark world. I
call it a miscarriage as the events of this case caused our state legislators
and law enforcement officials, as well as victims’ advocates, to come together
and work together to create a more just response to those charged with crimes
while enslaved.
In 2011, a 16 year-old girl named Cyntoia
Brown, a girl trafficked by a pimp named Kutthroat, was picked up by a man and
taken to his house. Miss Brown claimed
the man hired her for sex and scared her with his discussion of weapons. During their encounter, Miss Brown feared the
man was reaching for a gun and shot him.
She took money out of his wallet and a couple of his guns and drove
herself in his truck to a nearby Wal-Mart.
Miss Brown was subsequently prosecuted for murder and convicted, when
she was sentenced to life in prison.
Those interested in her story can view it at http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/me-facing-life/ .
Although I was living outside the state of
Tennessee at the time, I heard about the case through advocates around the
country. As a result of this case,
officials and legislators in the state of Tennessee worked to change the state
laws regarding victims and survivors of human trafficking. Over a period of a few years, Human
Trafficking survivors were allowed to claim, as an affirmative defense, that
they were forced to commit a crime because they were enslaved by another
individual. Better still, if it could be
proved they were trafficked (enslaved), they could not be found guilty of the
charges brought against them while enslaved.
Other advances in victims’ rights also came about either directly or
indirectly because of the case of Miss Brown.
No longer could juveniles be charged as prostitutes in the state of
Tennessee. Better still, no longer could
juveniles engaged in prostitution give consent to an adult to exchange sex for
money. In many ways, the response of the
state officials and victims’ advocates propelled Tennessee into a leadership
role in the United States regarding the treatment of those enslaved in our
midst as other states sought to join Tennessee in the just treatment of
survivors. Other states’ advocates and
officials used Tennessee as a template for how to treat victims of slavery
within their own legal systems.
I bring this all up now because of the
events of the last week or ten days.
Beginning last week, people from around the country began sending me
various articles regarding the unfortunate case of Miss Brown and wondering
what I was doing to rally my parish, my diocese, the wider Church, and even the
secular world to her cause. Miss Brown’s
case had been picked up by some entertainers and television personalities and
gone viral. A number of the articles can
be viewed at Newsweek
, NBC
, NY
Times , Fox
News , or
the Tennessean
, and a
quick Google search will produce more by the day. I had spoken with Derri Smith, founder of
EndSlaveryTn, prior to my arrival in Nashville, and I had spent some time with
her since my arrival. Naturally, I
wanted to make sure the facts of the case were the facts of the case. While Derri noted some sensationalism on the
part of some of the press, she agreed that the essential argument regarding
justice for Miss Brown was correct.
Although Miss Brown’s case, and the cases of less well-known survivors,
had caused a tremendous advancement in the way the legal system in Tennessee
treats victims and survivors charged with crimes within the borders of our
state, Miss Brown was denied those same remedies under the laws. Were Miss Brown to commit those crimes today,
neither I nor Derri think it likely she would be charged, let alone convicted. For more on Derri Smith’s thoughts on the
case, check out a recent post at here.
Make no mistake, Miss Brown recognizes
that a man is dead directly because of her actions. She will have to live with the image of that
encounter and the certain knowledge that she took his life for the rest of her
life. Miss Brown is not even asking that
she be treated under the laws of today; she is asking instead that her crime be
commuted to second-degree murder. But
make no mistake about this either: Miss
Brown was impacted by the fact that she was forced by another human being to
exchange sex with strangers for money.
We know far more about the life of sex slaves today than we did just a
decade ago. Some deal with the pain of
their life through the use, sometimes forced by the slaver, of alcohol and
drugs and crazy combinations of both.
Prostitutes are more likely to experience concussions at the hands of
violent “customers” than NFL players who wear protective gear, and we are just
beginning to understand better how such brain injuries influence the behaviors
of those athletes. What do such injuries
do to the rest of us? And, as human
trafficking has gained a bigger foothold in the public eye, we have come to
realize some of the dangers with which the slaves live with daily. Given her
life, was her response understandable? Absolutely. It is also tragic and lamentable that a life
was taken. It is for these reasons, and
countless others, that Christians cry for our Lord to come, especially during
this season of Advent.
But, absent His reappearing, we Christians
have work to do on earth. Those moved by
her case and legal residents of Tennessee can call or write the Governor and
the Parole Board on her behalf (1st Floor, State Capitol
600 Charlotte Avenue Nashville, TN 37243 (615) 741-2001 or Bill.Haslam@tn.gov or the Parole Board at Tennessee Board of Parole 404 James Robertson Parkway, Suite 1300 Nashville, Tennessee 37243 or via
e-mail at: BOP.Webmail@tn.gov). We encourage personal letters or e-mails
rather than form letters as a personal appeal conveys a higher level of
interest and involvement than mass mailed forms. Those
with personal relationships with the individuals can engage in even more ways.
Those outside the state, but aware of the leadership role of Tennessee with
respect to the legal rights of those who have been trafficked in our midst, can
also write the Governor and Parole Board encouraging them to act in the
interest of justice—she likely would not be convicted of the crimes under the
laws of today, laws that exist and were changed because of her case in 2011! While the Governor and Parole Board have no
legal obligation to listen to those outside the state, we have no doubt that
they appreciate the perception around the country that Tennessee has been
viewed as a national leader in this fight and that their inaction to address
her case diminishes the perception that they are leaders. Those with friends and family living in the
state can encourage residents of Tennessee to get involved, to speak up, and to
advocate for one whose case changed the very way law enforcement and society
deal with those enslaved among us. And,
everybody can sign the petition that has been started by those entertainers and
personalities on her behalf at Change.org
or Moveon.org . In the immortal words of Dr. King, “Justice
denied anywhere diminishes justice everywhere.”
What of those who claim another faith
tradition or no faith tradition? You are
every bit as needed in this discussion as are Christians. American society is engaged in some serious
reflection right now. The #metoo
campaign, the outing of particular misogynistic behavior by men in power and authority,
and the struggles we are having regarding racism, speak to that reflection and
our societal understanding of justice.
Miss Brown is being punished for a crime which some prosecutors would
likely choose not to prosecute and which many citizens would likely not convict
while serving on a jury, given the changes in the laws and our increasing
understanding and awareness of these issues.
Is it just, is it fair, that she remain behind bars, now knowing that?
As I travel around the country discussing
the stories of rescued men and women, of those that helped rescue them, and of
those who help treat them on the long road of recovery, I often end my
discussions with a quote from a famous man from my faith tradition, William
Wilberforce, one who is credited by some historians with leading the fight
against the Atlantic Slave trade. “You
may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not
know.” We as members in our society have
an obligation to participate in its living out, no matter our backgrounds, no
matter our desires. Now that you know
what has happened to Miss Brown, what will you do?
In
Christ’s Peace,
Brian†
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