Once upon a time, I thought anyone could make a difference and change the world for the better. I felt that it was the responsibility of each individual to make the world a livable place, a place where anyone can belong. And most importantly, a place that upholds justice above all else. I thought that I could help mold a world where everyone is equal under the eye of the law and the hand of justice.
How foolish I was to believe that the world could ever truly be anything but an “every man for himself” kinda game.
People commit crimes for all kinds of reasons. Some people have nothing to lose and everything to gain. So they steal, kill, and lie their way to a better life. And many do get caught and pay the price for their crimes. Whether it’s 20 years jail time for sellin’ drugs or robbin’ from a convenience store to pay for their family.
Others are born into privilege and still manage to fuck up and commit horrendous crimes. But do they suffer the consequences? If you think they do, I almost wish I were as blissfully ignorant as you.
Almost.
So this Stockton graduate came under fire in 2017 for some pretty serious allegations. What did he “allegedly” do, you ask?
Mr. Zachary Madle sexually assaulted this young lady in her dorm room. While she was drifting in and out of consciousness. And he recorded it.
And he posted it.
And refused to take any of the posts down even after the young lady demanded he do so.
As ugly as it sounds, it’s what happened. It seems like a clear cut, solid case. The accused man recorded the very evidence to be used against him in court, so it seems like there’s absolutely no way this guy could get away with this.
But on Thursday, he ended up pleading guilty to charges that won’t even subject him to major punishment compared to the charges that would definitely give him jail time and land him on a sex offender’s registry. And as it turns out, in spite of the explicit victim testimony and concrete video evidence proving his guilt, he ended up getting no jail time, and he escaped the sex offender label at that.
Why? Apparently ’cause he’s “immature” and clearly “remorseful” for whatever the hell he did to that girl.
It doesn’t take a genius to know that remorse isn’t really the best defense you could go with in court, when your ass is on the line. If a man who robbed a bank defended himself playing the “I’m sorry” card in court, you know he wouldn’t get away without some form of serious punishment. If a murder plays the “I regret what I did” card in court, it’s obvious it doesn’t mean shit. The punishment’s likely gonna be the same. Regret won’t undo history, remorse won’t bring her back.
…Remorse won’t bring them back. There are just some things you do that no matter how you feel or what you do afterwards, you can’t repair the damage that’s already been done. Not in the slightest. This man took this lady’s body, her peace of mind, sense of safety, her sense of belonging in the world. And she’s gonna fight through hell to get it all back. Not him.
So why should this poor, immature 26 year old graduate get away without jail time? Why should he escape a label that defines the damage he did to a young lady, the damage he’s capable of inflicting upon others? Why protect him in risk of him hurting someone innocent, someone who could have been protected had the law done its job by treating everyone equally?
Money. Social stature. Connections. Charisma. Those with any of the aforementioned can easily escape the “poor treatment”. Don’t got money? Into the slammer with you. Don’t mean anything to society? Time to slap a double-digit year sentence on your back. Don’t know anyone? No one will care to fight for you, so it’s best to just get rid of you while we can. Don’t have top notch genes? You’re ugly, good riddance.
Mr. Madle can afford a lawyer. Mr. Madle’s educated (as much as someone who records and posts their acts of sexual assault can be, I guess). Mr. Madle can grace society with his mere presence. Hell, I’d be more surprised if he ended up serving some sort of jail time than not.
It’s a story as old as time itself. Even with concrete rules tellin’ ya what you can and can’t do, people will always find a way to bend the rules, make exceptions, run through loopholes.
There’s no point gettin’ angry about it. You’re wasting your time if you ever thought justice could ever be achieved. There’s always someone one step ahead of ya, and that someone has power. It’s money that makes the world go round, and if you don’t have it, the world won’t stop for you. They’ll cast you aside and make sure to protect those who do.
As fucked up as it is, I don’t blame Mr. Madle for usin’ his godsent gifts to get outta trouble. I mean, you gotta be an idiot to not do whatever you can to protect yourself, especially when you have access to so many resources and connections. It may be wrong, but I learned a long time ago there’s no point in fighting for a system that doesn’t fight for you. I learned that, especially if you live a life full of darkness, when you see a glimmer of light in solvin’ your problems, you gotta take it.
Even I took that chance when Mr. Wilson bailed me outta jail under the table to work on his imperative case. It may not have been playing the game fair, but it was playing the game smart.
Where you start is a game of luck, but where you end is a game of wit.
Ranch.
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