Who would have thought that in 2023, ringing the wrong doorbell could get you killed? This is what happened to Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old boy, who, on Thursday, April 13, walked to the doorstep of Andrew Daniel Lester, an 84-year-old white man in Kansas City, Missouri, United States of America.
Yarl was on his way to pick up his twin brothers, but unknown to the Black teenager, he was against the odds when he rang the doorbell at the wrong address. It was less than a block away from the 1100 block of NE 115th Terrace where his brothers were.
Lester shot him twice – in the head and his right arm.
The shooter, in his defence, claimed he shot the African-American boy through his glass entrance door because he believed the teenager was trying to break into his home, and he was "scared to death" due to Yarl's size.
The most shocking aspect of the incident is that Lester was initially detained but released on bail a few hours after questioning. It was almost 24 hours later that the 84-year-old eventually turned himself in after protests and social media uproar from various communities against the shooting of a Black innocent child.
A racist undertone to Yarl's shooting
With the police dragging their feet in the arrest of Lester in Yarl's shooting, one would have questioned the price for justice for someone of colour. This rings even more true when you compare the speed at which Kevin Monahan, 65, was charged with second-degree murder in an incident that left a 20-year-old white woman, Kaylin Gillis killed.
Like Yarl, the lady had wrongly pulled into Monahan's driveway alongside other women in search of their friend's house.
While Monahan faces charges for the murder of Gillis, Lester was initially 'free' on bail, and it took the public, with protests and social media outrage, to change that. The position taken by the police in these two cases highlights how skin colour can determine whether or not one would get justice in any matter.
At this point, one can only think that if Yarl were a white teenage boy, maybe, just maybe, this would have been different. The police probably would have been up on their feet to ensure that the man who fired two .32 calibre bullets on the teenager, whose only crime was being at the wrong door looking for his siblings, would be held accountable for his outrageous and senseless act of violence.
Again, the police appear to portray itself as an institution where justice for a Black individual can only be achieved or seem to be achieved through protests and social media advocacies. Instances of such can be seen in the cases of Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, George Floyd and now Yarl, which solidifies the purpose of the Black Lives Matter Movement.
Further to this, in Yarl's shooting, the district attorney, Zachary Thompson, even described Lester's actions as having a racial component to the criminal case of assault.
While Lester is charged with assault in the first degree and armed criminal action, the question remains; what is the fate of the next Black child who rings the bell on the wrong door? Would he or she get a bullet in his or her head and arm as Yarl did, or will we have a rinse and repeat of protesters hitting the streets again and chanting #Justice all over?
Would justice for Yarl mean justice for all Black life?
For now, we will take solace in the promise made by US President Joe Biden that his administration will keep up with the fight against gun violence in America.
Biden, in a Twitter post stated that he had a call with Yarl and his family on Tuesday, April 18, and believes that "No parent should have to worry that their kid will be shot after ringing the wrong doorbell."
Gun laws, a menace in the US
The issue of gun possession is taking centre stage at every debate on gun laws in the United States; the Second Amendment of the Constitution protects the right of "responsible individuals" to keep and bear arms in public for self-defence.
However, many residents of the US have continued to oppose gun laws, with activists and notable personalities standing firm on their stance against these laws.
In January 2023, the Students Demand Action group, a team of student volunteers, took to the streets to protest against the US gun laws. Carrying placards, the students suggested that guns are the number one killer of teenagers and young people in America.
Calling for more students to join their campaign, the students said the gun industry "parties while kids die".
They said: "Gun companies have not and will not change until the havoc they've caused finally hits their bottom line."
With Biden's promise, this is a time for heads of every relevant institution in the US to take a stance and ensure that justice is done to all parties. No human should suffer delayed justice because of their skin colour.