NY Governor Sets Black Man Free in White Teen's Racially Charged Death

If you've been reading this site for a while, you've probably come to the realization that I often bitch about freedom, justice, and equality. More specifically, you've probably heard me rant about the American "just-us" system that somehow continues to evade and not include minorities.

Well, just in time for the fat white guy to slip into your living-room with lumps of coal in Jesus' name. Comes the story of John Harris White who got a heck of a Christmas gift compliments of outgoing New York governor, David Paterson.

In a decision that I'm sure to spark racial debates, Paterson has done what would consider the unthinkable by commuting Whites 4yr prison sentence for manslaughter. Oh, before I go on, lemme mention that governor Paterson, like the convicted defendant in this case, is black; and the dead victim just so happened to be a 17yr old teenager named, Daniel Cicciaro, who was white.

Now, Cicciaro was shot and killed in 2006 and White was sentenced to a maximum 4yr sentence, but with governor Paterson's actions, having served only five months in prison for manslaughter White is a now free man.

Um, 5mths in prison for killing someone? Is this justice?




Now think about this for a second: wouldn't there be outrage if the victim in this case were a person of color, and the defendant and governor were white?

Paterson said the five months John Harris White has served was enough time for the emotion-fueled 2006 shooting death of Daniel Cicciaro, 17. Paterson said everybody connected with the case had suffered enough, and White was released Thursday.

White teenagers were feuding with John White's 19-year-old son when they went by the carload to their home in August 2006. White was convicted of manslaughter for shooting one of the teenagers at the foot of White's driveway, in what he referred to as a lynch mob.

A judge sentenced White to two to four years in prison, a fraction of the maximum, exactly four years ago Thursday. He finally went to prison in July this year after his appeals were rejected.

Cicciaro's father, Daniel Sr., screamed at the verdict after the four-week trial: "Let's see what happens when Aaron White gets shot." (source)

Now, I remember the debate we had on this very site given the verdict in the trial of Johannes  Mehserle for the shooting death of Oscar Grant. And maybe it's unfair to compare the racial angle given that unlike in this case, Oscar Grant's shooting was caught on tape, and Mehserle was a police officer. Yet and still, shouldn't we feel like the relatives of Cicciaro's in this case? Caught on tape or not, shouldn't we feel that justice wasn't served? Again I ask, is this justice?