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Re: “He was freed from life in prison; prosecutors want to send him back” [Jan. 28, A1]:
I was shocked to see this development in the life of Kimonti Carter. I met Carter last spring at a screening of Gilda Sheppard’s film “Since I Been Down” (an award-winning documentary about Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood during years of gang violence and crack cocaine, including Carter’s role). He spoke about taking responsibility for his actions and described his work while incarcerated and since his release. His efforts have unquestionably made positive impacts on many lives.
It’s important to recognize the laws under which he was originally sentenced. The law adding prison time for someone found guilty of shooting from a car, for example, was questioned at the time for focusing on Black men. We know unequivocally that criminal laws do not operate independent of racial bias. Sending him back to prison perpetuates the injustice. Pierce County Prosecutor Mary Robnett said in the article, “ … there’s a huge principle at play here.” And Diane Clarkson, one of Robnett’s deputies, said, “It is not personal. It is never personal.”
The fact that our country does not create equitable access to opportunity and some are born surrounded by a culture that does not consistently support them is deeply personal.
Linda Elwood, Seattle
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