The case of Genarlow Wilson shines a light on the racism still pervasive in the U.S. “justice” system today.
Wilson was arrested in 2005 for committing “inappropriate sexual acts” at a News Year’s Eve party near Atlanta. A jury
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The charge carries a 10-year sentence, plus one year of probation and the lifetime label of “child molester” on the state’s sex offender registry.
Wilson received the sentence after refusing a plea bargain. He said, “It’s all about doing what’s right […] and what’s right is right, and what’s wrong is wrong. And I’m just standing up for what I believe in.”
After the trial, jurors admitted they were unaware of the harsh sentence the charge carried. Had Wilson engaged in intercourse with the 15-year-old rather than oral sex, he would have been charged with a misdemeanor.
Georgia legislators passed a bill in 2006 making oral sex with a minor a misdemeanor. But the law was not retroactive—it did not apply to Wilson’s case.
Then, on June 13, 2007, Monroe County Superior Court Judge Thomas Wilson ordered Wilson to be released. He declared the original sentence a “miscarriage of justice.” Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker immediately filed to stop the judge’s decision. Genarlow Wilson’s case will be heard by the Georgia Supreme Court on July 20.
A significant movement demanding Wilson’s freedom has emerged. Local organizations, national groups like the NAACP and individuals like Rev. Al Sharpton, and many others are working to win Wilson’s release.
According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, more than 2,000 people marched to free Wilson in Douglassville, Ga., on July 14. Wilson’s mother, Juanessa Bennett, said she and Wilson had become “part of a much bigger movement” to make the justice system equal for all.
Free Genarlow Wilson now!
