Tory Lanez has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting Megan Thee Stallion. I am not a fan of Megan Thee Stallion’s music; she is one half of the WAP duo with Cardi B. However, I believe right is right and wrong is wrong. But 10 years? Is that a version of justice? Perhaps the better question to ask is, what is justice in America today?
If you do not follow hip hop culture, background information is important to this story. Tory Lanez is a Canadian rapper (not a United State citizen), who dated Megan Thee Stallion in 2020. In July 2020, Megan and Lanez left a party at Kylie Jenner’s house in the same car with her best friend, Kelsey Harris, and a bodyguard. The couple got in a verbal dispute, and as she was getting out of the car, Lanez pulled out a firearm, told her to dance, and started firing at her feet. He shot her in the foot, and Harris immediately sent a text that said, “Help. Tory shot Meg.” Case closed — until, of course, it was time for him to face his trial.
When this story broke several months ago, I was shocked when I found out so many black Americans were saying he wasn’t guilty — when he so clearly was. This week, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Los Angeles County Superior Court for assault. His assault charges were not for something like punching her. This man shot her. So how could people be sympathetic to someone who has shot a black woman? This is the same crowd of people who talk about the injustice and wrongs done to black people. How could they stand behind him?
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After the shooting, Megan says Lanez offered her $1 million to stay quiet; he was offering her hush money. Despite the fact Megan Thee Stallion was hospitalized and underwent surgery, Lanez still pled not guilty at his trial. To make matters worse, he decided to spin a conspiracy theory that Megan was lying about being shot and he started trolling her in his music with lines like, “How the f*** you get shot in your foot, don’t hit no bones or tendons?” That’s not what the doctors testified throughout his trial. She was very clearly shot. They extracted bullet fragments from her foot, and she had to go through physical therapy thereafter.
Megan Thee Stallion had to face the masses of people who were convinced she had lied because, according to them, black men can do no wrong — even if they literally shoot someone when they’re upset. The reason the prosecutor sought such a hefty sentence for the rapper was because he harassed her in public and pled not guilty. After the shooting, he launched a campaign to humiliate her and to retraumatize her. The prosecution saw that he had weaponized misinformation on social media to turn public opinion against her. Then, he only got 10 years. His sentence was remarkably reduced to 10 years because of some ridiculous California incentive not to keep criminals in prison. He was found guilty of all three charges the prosecution brought against him: assault with a firearm, illegal possession of a firearm, and negligent discharge of a gun for shooting the plaintiff.
If you think that sounds like justice, then you haven’t been breathing air in America lately. Are we paying attention? Black men can do no wrong even when they shoot someone. The social media comments that started circulating after the sentencing was announced were unbelievable.
Some thought nothing of the shooting:
In other words: What’s the big deal? You got shot in the foot. What are you complaining about? I don’t know if he did or didn’t do it but we better not lock up a black man for 10 years.
This next individual had the same sentiment:
Virtually no evidence? Megan immediately went to the hospital where she had surgery to have bullet fragments removed from her body. But this woman says there is virtually no evidence, Megan committed perjury, and the most logical conclusion is to let everyone walk the streets free since everyone was drunk anyway. Yes, thank you. Imagine being a black man. You can’t even shoot someone and get away with it. How very stressful.
The next one is the most astounding:
His take is: What a crybaby; you just got shot in the foot when I got stabbed in the back and said nothing. So, if you get shot and you’re upset about it, you are just a sensitive person.
Megan was retraumatized after having been shot and offered hush money, lost a friend (Harris turned against her by refusing to give testimony at trial), and watched everyone think she lied. Not only that, but now, people do not believe her — because according to them, what has happened to Tory Lanez is not justice. They think he’s just a brother having a good time.
So what is the state of justice in America today? I don’t think there is such a thing as justice anymore. I also think if you live in inner-city communities, you should move out because justice is completely and utterly warped. There’s a higher pursuit of social justice, but, as it turns out, isn’t even justice at all.
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