On Thursday May 21, 2020 Patricia Ripley told Miami-Dade Police that two black men side-swiped her car, demanded drugs then took her phone and kidnapped her 9-year-old son Alejandro. An amber alert was issued and suddenly the community sought to find the child. On Friday May 22, 2020 Alejandro’s was found dead and the following day Patricia was arrested and charged with his murder to which she confessed.

The lies Patricia Ripley told to cover her murderous trail fits a long history of scapegoating, stereotyping and telling lies on black men.

1955 - Carolyn Bryant (Emit Till) Till, just 14, was kidnapped, mutilated and killed while visiting relatives in
Mississippi after Bryant accused him of assaulting her. In 2008 Bryant admitted her story and testimony was falsified.

1989 - Carol Stuart (Willie Bennett). Charles Stuart told police that he and his wife Carol were returning from a birthing
class when they lost their way and found themselves in a dangerous part of town. They were mugged – his wife shot and he was wounded. Homes were raided and dozen of men were brought in for questioning. Willie Bennett was arrested and
jailed for murder.

1991 – Queens Rape Case (Gregory Counts and VanDyke Perry) The alleged victim said she was forced into a vehicle at knifepoint in Queens. She said Perry and Counts, who is knew, raped her along with a third man. Medical examination found no physical evidence to support her claim nor any signs of sexual trauma. Perry was released in 2001 after serving 11 years and Counts in 2017 after 26 years after the Innocence Project got involved.

1994 - Susan Smith. Smith told SC police and made several passionate appearances on national television claiming her two
sons had been taken by a black carjacker. She later confessed to rolling her car into a lake and drowning her children.

2007 - Amanda Knox (Patrick Lumumba) Lumumba spent two week behind bars after Knox told Italian police he had killed 21- year-old Kercher.

2009 - Bonnie Sweeten. Sweeten called police to report that she and her nine-year-old daughter were carjacked by two black men. This led to a nationwide search. They were in fact on their way to the airport to catch a flight to Orlando for a Disney vacation. It was later discovered that Sweeten had stolen $1m from an elderly family member and her boss; she was also behind 2,000 fraudulent acts in the five years leading up to her arrest.

Ripley’s case reveals once again the stereotypical view held of black men - that they are other, that they are dangerous, and that they should be imprisoned. The long-perceived threat of black masculinity to white female safety is particularly noteworthy in today’s world, given the prevalence of online lynch mobs, organized pressure groups, and how the hyperbolic media often bays for blood when a black man is accused of a crime.

“White lies” have tangible consequences, which is why it is that much more concerning when white women — like Ripley — feel
comfortable blaming black men for crimes they did not commit. Racial hoaxes like hers are a very real reminder that many people still hold nefarious stereotypes of black men. Further, miscarriages of justice highlight the enduring reality of systematic racial biases in policing and jurisprudence. This serves only to contribute to the existing climate of anxiety and fear, and perpetuates mistrust of societal institutions in the black community.

Where is this coming from?

The social environment is highly toxic for black men and justice is seldom color-blind. Here are two reasons why;

1. Big Black Man Stereotype: This brute caricature depicts black men as inherently savage, animalistic, destructive, and criminal … deserving punishment up to death. The big black man is a fiend, a sociopath, an anti-social menace are often characterized as hideous, terrifying predators who target helpless victims, especially white women. For instance, the image of Rodney King constructed for the jurors was that of a larger than life species with superhuman strength. Jurors, even after watching the video of King being brutally beaten, described him as being "in control."

2. Blame a Black Man Syndrome: the tendency to falsely accuse a black man of a crime or misconduct. It can take two forms. Firstly, it can refer to generic racial hoaxes, where an accuser blames an imaginary black man for a non-existent crime. As in Smith, Sweeten and Ripley’s cases. Secondly, it can involve accusations against a named but innocent black man. This is seen in the Bryant,
Knox and the Queens Rape Case.

Some of the consequences

Black men often are treated according to stereotypes, rather than as individual people. That puts them at a significant disadvantage in innumerable ways.

How people think about them
How people behave toward them; and ultimately
How people treat them.

Black boys are seen as a threat to social hierarchy from the minute they are born. Innocent black men are seven times more likely to be convicted of murder than innocent white men.

Also, innocent black men are four times more likely to be convicted of sexual assault than innocent white men. In 2015, convicted murderer Dylann Roof fatally shot nine parishioners at a South Carolina church because blacks were “raping our women.” This, despite historical data finding that nearly 90 percent of rapes involve a victim and offender of the same race.

According to research published by the American Psychological Association, people have a tendency to perceive black men as larger and more threatening than similarly sized white men. For instance, convicted rapist Brock Turner spent only three months in jail for raping an unconscious Stanford University co-ed. Turner’s father called the rape “20 minutes of action, ” while the judge in that case said a “prison sentence would have a severe impact on him. I think he will not be a danger to others.”

The list of impact and consequences goes on and on…

Dismantling the trope of the dangerous “Big Black Man” requires information (which this post has sought to provide) as well a intentional personal action. It requires that readers understand that black men not “innately” criminal or dangerous. Of course, this understanding alone is not enough. Tangible action is also required. Stronger coalitions and more creative legal interventions are also necessary to counter experiences of black men. Change can also happen at the individual level. Individual acts, although appearing small, may create tiny ripples that lead to large effects. As a first step toward effecting change individuals in their daily lives, this post encourages readers to ask three questions when engaging with Black men (or when witnessing the criminal characterization of one):

What is causing me to respond in a particular way to this person (i.e., what stereotypes, biases, or assumptions are reflected in my reactions to or actions toward him);
What factors are likely influencing his response to me; and
What might I do now to produce a better outcome?

While asking these three questions will not change the interpretation to all encounters/situations involving black men, they should reduce the incidence—or at least provide space for greater reflection and conversation. More importantly, pondering these
questions may lead to a realization that black men are not walking around inherently criminal and dangerous.

I think; therefore, I am…a black man.

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