Let’s stop pretending we don’t know how this would be playing out if the races were reversed. If an 18-year-old white football player went to a remote island with three Black teenagers, those three teenagers came back without him, returned with his cellphone but not him, investigators were reviewing video of an apparent argument before he disappeared, and their social media accounts suddenly vanished, America wouldn’t be telling everyone to “wait for all the facts.” They would already be branded as suspects in the court of public opinion. Their faces would dominate cable news. Their mugshots would be splashed across television screens. Reporters would be interviewing classmates, neighbors, teachers, and ex-girlfriends, digging for anything that could paint them as guilty before an autopsy was even completed.
Nolan Wells deserves that same level of urgency. His family deserves that same level of scrutiny from investigators. And the public deserves the same insistence on transparency that routinely accompanies cases involving white victims.
The fact that one of the young men with Nolan is the son of a Jackson County judge makes transparency even more important. When influential connections exist in a case already surrounded by unanswered questions, public confidence isn’t restored by asking people to stop asking questions, it is restored by conducting a thorough, independent investigation and following the evidence wherever it leads. Until every question has been answered, skepticism isn’t an attack on justice; it’s a demand that justice be done.
#JusticeForNolanWells
I was invited to a sleepover once in middle school once. When I got there I was the only Black child. My mama stayed for awhile then informed me that I would be leaving with her instead of sleeping there. I was SO angry & cried all the way home. I get it now mama. I get it.
and if love ever finds me again, i hope it's with someone who thinks about how their actions affect me,someone who considers my feelings before making choices and values my peace as much as their own because I'm not here to survive love again, I'm here to finally live it