This week ABC’s Blackish takes on the judicial system and how it relates to black people. If you think that’s a recipe for disaster…you have really good instincts. Perhaps you should spend the half-hour buying lottery tickets rather than watching another weekly lecture on the show - you’ll have a better chance of getting something good.
In the February 22nd episode “One Angry Man,” Dre (Anthony Anderson) gets reluctantly called into jury duty. However, his opinion turns when he realizes that he is the only black man on the jury on a case with a black defendant. What could be a better opportunity to go on another highly-charged, slighty-misguided argument for the show?
Dre: When a person is accused of a crime in America, the law says that we have a right to a trial with a jury of our peers. But that wasn't possible for black people, who weren't even allowed to serve on juries until the Supreme Court stepped in in 1880. [ Ding! ] But even after we could legally serve on juries... [ All cheer ] ...Prosecutors came up with ways to keep us off. No facial hair. Oh! No folded arms. "He's wearing too many chains." What?! Too much athletic wear. Come on. Which are all code for "Too black." [ Buzzer! ] That means black defendants facing juries filled with people who are purposefully not their peers, people who don't understand their lives, their experiences, and can't see themselves in the defendant's shoes. This messed-up system is one of the reasons why 1 in 17 white men go to jail, but for black men, it's one in three.
Stevens: Wow. One in three?
Dre: Mm-hmm.
Stevens: That is incredible.
Josh: Hm.
Stevens: So which one of you three lied on your résumé?
Ignoring the total hypocrisy that Dre and his black co-workers don't even want to sit in a jury, let me start with my own mini-lecture. In choosing a jury, there is usually a questioning known as voir dire or “to speak the truth.” Here, attorneys on both sides of the case can examine a pool of potential jurors. If a juror appears to be prejudiced on a case, an attorney can ask the judge to dismiss the juror “for cause.” While an attorney can excuse potential jurors without a cause in a peremptory challenge, these challenges are limited and cannot be used on the basis of race or sex.
That one in three figure Dre cites is highly questionable. How about we come up with a way to stop people from committing the crimes that require juries before we get rid of the “messed-up system” of trial by jury?
It’s that kind of ignorance that makes the rest of the episode slightly more enjoyable when a white female juror actually saves the black defendant by (get this) examining the evidence and proving him innocent. While the episode frames her as stealing Dre’s spotlight, I at least applaud her for offering an argument beyond skin color. And look, an innocent man was freed! Seems to me that the system worked fine in this case.
I would say you should give the episode a chance on its own, but the rest of the episode revolves around Bow (Tracee Ellis Ross) lifting the swearing ban on her house. Basically, your choices for this episode are either an opinionated lecture on the system or watching kids swear. Pretty quality stuff this week.
