Casey Anthony Verdict: Maybe Not Right, But Not Racial

I am a little concerned about some online reaction to the Casey Anthony trial.

In my opinion, the verdict did not reflect the evidence presented in the case, but then again, nobody called me for jury duty in Florida and rightfully so.

But I also don’t see Anthony’s outcome as proof that white women get away with any and everything.

That seems to be the tone and tenor of some Tweets and posts about the verdict in the case, not guilty of the charges other than lying to police investigators.

Hear me out.

It’s been duly noted that a disproportionate amount of media attention goes to young white women who are missing or murdered. The phenomenon even has a name: “missing white women” syndrome. And that disparity needs to be fixed. Stat.

But Casey Anthony is not really a case of a white woman getting over, is it? It seems like more a case of an effective defense who threw out a lot of scenarios and a jury who — with such a swift deliberation– was clearly not convinced that Casey Anthony abused, then murdered her young daughter and disposed of the tiny body.

This case has nothing to do with OJ Simpson, except that, Simpson’s also is an example of an effective defense. Also, Mr. Simpson — incarcerated on other charges– has done little in recent years to improve his public image, including the ill-advised “If I Did It” memoir.

This Anthony case has nothing to do with football player Michael Vick who did not dispute his involvement in a dogfighting ring. (By the way, Vick was just named sportsman of the year by BET and inked a deal with Nike after showing sufficient remorse for his actions.)

Do not misinterpret this post to mean that nothing in the legal system is racialized. It is — from arrests to sentencing– and we have to keep fighting to make it fair. So let’s spend our energy on that and leave Anthony to the court of public opinion which clearly has convicted her.

It serves no-one to sit here and pretend it was merely her skin color that got her off with the Florida jury. She hired a defense team and they expertly muddied the waters on her actions and intent. That is their job. Anthony is far from the first person, of any skin shade, to benefit from that.

In the end, the real person injured in, and by, this case is not around anymore. The loss of little Caylee Anthony is the biggest tragedy. Let’s save our moral outrage about race relations for when it truly matters.