Yesterday, the Senate unanimously passed a bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday:
WATCH: The Senate unanimously passes a bill establishing Juneteenth as a national holiday. The bill now heads to the House. https://t.co/d4QlSgRK0L pic.twitter.com/coJO0k881P
— ABC News (@ABC) June 15, 2021
That’s great and everything, but as Harlem-based self-described “activist and social impact strategist” Jamira Burley points out, it’s ultimately a pretty empty gesture.
Because, you know, lynching is still legal in America:
https://twitter.com/JamiraBurley/status/1404974436202254337
Great point, Jamira!
Or it would be, if it weren’t completely wrong and insane.
https://twitter.com/ClistonBrown/status/1404976780037922819
No. No it is not what we do here.
— Alexander (@Johnsto27070358) June 16, 2021
wait, murder is legal now? LMAO pic.twitter.com/2Yx1lpL9EK
— xi_so_ronery (@catosknife1) June 16, 2021
"lynching is still legal"
Meth, not even once.
— Physics Geek (@physicsgeek) June 16, 2021
In which state is it legal to murder someone, Jamira?
— Aldous Huxley's Ghost™ (@AF632) June 16, 2021
Lynching is very illegal in the United States because murder is illegal. https://t.co/YWUhaTqiQt
— kaitlin, political fashion police (@thefactualprep) June 16, 2021
Last time we checked, at least.
Lynching is illegal though.
— MetsMan7186 (@man7186) June 16, 2021
But wait:
— Jamira Burley (@JamiraBurley) June 16, 2021
Well, Jamira, let’s talk about that for a minute:
The House has already passed an anti-lynching legislation, which is awaiting approval in the Senate. But Paul has said he is concerned it could allow more minor altercations to be punishable as lynchings.
“Bruises could be considered lynching,” Paul told reporters Wednesday. “That’s a problem, to put someone in jail for 10 years for some kind of altercation,” referring to the measure’s penalty for conspiring or attempting to conspire to commit a lynching.
Paul agreed that lynching should be “universally condemned,” but said conflating minor offenses with lynching does a “disservice to those who were lynched in our history.”
Lynching is not legal in the United States because murder is not legal in the United States. Rand Paul was never suggesting that lynching or murder should be legal in the United States. He never defended lynching.
Murder is illegal everywhere in the US.
BUT to explain what’s going on here, some have proposed that lynching in specific be a federal crime on top of the state laws. That is not currently the case.
Whether or not that’s a good proposal though, lynching is definitely not legal.
— Matt Knee (@matt_knee) June 16, 2021
There’s literally no need to make lynching a federal crime when murder already is. Anti-lynching legislation is purely performative.
Jamira Burley either doesn’t know that, or she knows it and is counting on her followers not to.
In either case, she’s not someone anyone should be listening to.
People just make up stuff here for attention it seems. In no part of the United States is murder legal. https://t.co/A925fu4iQm
— IncognegroNeville 🇯🇲🇺🇸 (@FormerlyCBM) June 16, 2021
Oh nothing much, just a verified blue check stating for the record that murder is legal in the United States. https://t.co/FrR9fIqSId
— Aldous Huxley's Ghost™ (@AF632) June 16, 2021
This is a lie
— Ryan L. Gallagher (@RyanLGallagher) June 16, 2021
You cannot lynch someone, its called murder. Premeditated murder Is a capital felony in all states. The disinformation needs to stop.
— Ryan L. Gallagher (@RyanLGallagher) June 16, 2021
https://twitter.com/TheRacineTimes/status/1405192571656282115
Oh.
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