I find it absurd that a convicted sex offender like Sean “Diddy” Combs, albeit in jail, will most likely be spared by the hands of our justice system, while Marcellus Williams, whose court case is ridden with a lack of evidence and bias, died for a crime that cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. 

It is clear that Combs was involved in a pedophile ring, similar to Jeffery Epstein, that many celebrities in the music industry engaged in. If the death penalty should be enforced, I think it should be saved for people who commit atrocities such as these. Yet, our justice system does everything to protect these foul people who need to be held accountable for their actions. 

Situations like this are unacceptable and speak towards the classist, corrupt society we live in. Should Williams have been a successful music artist with billions of dollars, connections and a political agenda that upholds the dominant, suppressive culture behind him, his life could have been saved. 

Williams’ case exhibits racism, classism and the general oppressive capabilities of U.S. culture in its attempt to uphold systemically unjust processes. The prosecutors of the case rejected Black potential jurors. As a working class man, Williams did not have the resources to attain the best attorneys, who, with their connections, make situations go away as if they never had happened. 

U.S. culture, as it stands, is defined by money. Without money, you can not live a life of quality. The people who have money have developed the system of capitalism to create barriers of entry to avenues of building generational wealth. It is an unjust system that, at its core, perpetuates the systemic injustices it claims to oppose. 

The story of Williams tells the story of how corrupt, inept and broken our justice system can be. While there are moments of triumph, and I think that it is generally fair, the juxtaposition of treatment between Combs and Williams displays how unreasonable outcomes can be when money is involved. 

Preventing this corruption from continuing is difficult, but possible in the spirit of collective liberation and love for all people. We must be critically aware of who we elect into positions of power and who we support in things like entertainment. Boycotts are effective. Dominant culture is just as dependent on the people as people are dependent on the goods and services it provides. 

By holding these systems to a higher standard, we can progressively create a world that is less corrupt and divisive, more just and collaborative, fueled by less hate and more love.