Not a solution

Shawna Forde Sentenced To Death For Double Murder In Arizona

Okay, I have some feelings about this.

I feel like I can appreciate the spirit in which this sentence was delivered but I cannot agree with the decision to put this woman to death.

First of all, in general, I don’t see the point of a system that tries to tell people that murder is bad by killing them for committing murder. I am not a supporter of state sponsored violence, especially with a state that is constructed so that only certain groups of people will ever be subject to their violence.

Second, killing one woman for her decision to kill innocent people does absolutely nothing to address the environment that condoned her actions until she stepped over the line into the states monopoly on inflicting violence on individuals.

It presents her death as some sort of solution to a problem that goes well beyond her and her individual decisions. And it allows those of us with the privilege to do so to continue framing racist violence as a problem only for solitary groups and people that we deem to be “over the top.” It allows us to remain secure in this concept of “real” racism that needs violence and death and blood to actually be a problem. And in the end, I personally am not a fan of wasting time and resources on faux-solutions.