At this point, we know that the devil is working hard, but whiteness is working even harder. And this white cop's racial discrimination lawsuit proves it.
In October 2015, 25-year-old Ricky Ball was fatally shot by the police in Columbus, Mississippi. His death resulted in protest, and according to BuzzFeed, a grand jury indicted officer Canyon Boykin in September of 2016 on manslaughter charges. The case has still not gone to trial, and if it follows the trend of recent cases against police officers, he likely won't face any consequences. However, what's even wilder is the fact Boykin already had a lawsuit of his own.
Following Ball's death, Boykin sued for racial discrimination under allegations that the city unfairly fired him for being a white officer who killed a black person.
Yes, you read that right.
The city settled with Boykin for an undisclosed amount before the case ever went to trial. What's even scarier is this isn't an isolated incident. According to BuzzFeed's media review, over the past 10 years, at least 25 white officers have sued their cities for racial discrimination with nine of those cases winning. These officers claim they had been passed up for promotions because of their skin color (you know because being a white male is such a burden) or fired for saying or doing something interpreted as racist.
“That’s what really made me realize how much is stacked against us,” Ball’s cousin, Ernesto Ball, said. “That’s the moment I began to think that maybe these cops can really get away with whatever.”
That, they can.
Boykin's lawsuit argued his firing was the result of "public pressure" because "he is white and the deceased was black." But even that doesn't guarantee a firing; it usually results in paid administrative leave.
“I don’t have any faith in the justice system anymore,” Ernesto said. “At first I was excited. At first, I thought that maybe it would be something quick. But as time goes on, and things start happening…it’s hard, man. It’s hard to keep that belief I been trying to keep.”
Ball, who was a father of one daughter, was killed by Boykin as he ran away from a traffic stop. Boykin was a part of Columbus' special operations group (SOG). The SOG allegedly used harassment, aggressiveness and illegal tactics to exploit and violate the rights of citizens in the areas they frequently kept under surveillance.
As his family continues to push for justice, we can only hope that the city will have as much regard for Ball's fallen life as it did for Boykin's settlement.