The Condemnation of Little B

by BROWN, ELAINE

• ISBN13: 9780807009758
• ISBN10: 080700975X
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2003-02-15
• Publisher: Beacon Press

Summary

Through the story of a thirteen-year-old black boy condemned to life in prison, Elaine Brown exposes the 'New Age' racism that effectively condemns millions of poor African-Americans to a third world life. The story of 'Little B' is riveting, a stunning example of the particular burden racism imposes on black youths. Most astonishing, almost all of the officials involved in bringing him to 'justice' are black. Michael Lewis was officially declared a ward of the state at age eleven, and then systematically ignored until his arrest for murder. Brown wondered how this boy could possibly have aroused so much public resentment, why he was being tried (and roundly condemned, labeled a 'super-predator') in the press. Then she met Michael and began investigating his case on her own. Brown adeptly builds a convincing case that the prosecution railroaded Michael, looking for a quick, symbolic conviction. His innocence is almost incidental to the overwhelming evidence that the case was unfit for trial. Little B was convicted long before he came to court, and effectively sentenced years before, when the 'safety net' allowed him to slip silently down. Brown cites studies and cases from all over America that reveal how much more likely youth of color are to be convicted of crimes and to serve long-even life-sentences, and how deeply the new black middle class is implicated in this devastating reality.

Author Biography

Elaine Brown, the former chairman of the Black Panther Party, is the author of A Taste of Power, currently being developed by Suzanne de Passe as an HBO movie. She lectures widely and lives in Atlanta.

Table of Contents

I. SCAPEGOAT
Black Man-Child	3	(9)
The Murder Case	12	(16)
Evil in the City	28	(23)
II. SHADOW OF THE DOME
Atlanta: Hub of the New South	51	(18)
The Bluff	69	(11)
Little B	80	(14)
Superpredator or Outcast?	94	(33)
III. THE ROOT OF THIS EVIL
Monticello Revisited	127	(15)
Post-Emancipation Fight for Freedom	142	(13)
This Little Light Extinguished	155	(18)
IV. NEW AGE RACISM
Marching from Monticello	173	(34)
The Abandonment	207	(56)
V. THE REAL CRIME
Trompe L'oeil	263	(29)
The Innocence of Little B	292	(47)
The Appeal	339	(22)
Notes	361	(31)
Acknowledgments	392