Thread by @DrRJKavanagh

Let's not draw problematic conclusions from anecdotes.

There's no empirical data that says Black people are trying to get out of jury duty any more than anyone else.

What we do know is that Black people are excluded from juries because of systemic racism and racist prosecutors.

https://twitter.com/cherlk__/status/1463696831834202113

Black people are often excluded from jump because jury pools are usually drawn from lists of registered voters (felony disenfranchisement laws mean in some states as many as 10 to 20% of Black people can't vote) and DMV records (Black people have lower rates of car ownership).

This obviously affects people from more disadvantaged socioeconomic advantage regardless of race.

Once you get to jury selection, you see what happened in the trial of the three men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery in reverse - prosecutors deliberately excluding Black jurors, or a minimum demonstrating implicit bias.

Even if prosecutors don't deliberately exclude Black people, Black people may express comments during jury selection that makes them less likely to be chosen - for instance, unfavorable opinions of police.

I find comments like this problematic, not just because it suggests Black people are responsible for a racist system, but because it ignores the context in which the criminal legal system operates.

Juries are not out here deciding the fates of White men who kill Black people.

Most of the people on trial are Black.

And only 3% of people charged with crimes exercise their right to go to trial.

I absolutely believe that we should all vote and serve on juries and that there is power in presence.

But I also know that the criminal legal system is racist and corrupt and that if every eligible Black person signed up for jury duty it would not fundamentally change.