The Georgia NAACP would be well-advised to be more dscriminating in selecting examples of black criminal defendants being treated more harshly than their white counterparts. The latest case in point involves the sentencing of two white women dubbed the "Barbie bandits." According to reports, a superior court judge sentenced Heather Johnston, 20, to 10 years probation following her guilty plea to theft by taking. Ashley Miller, 19, Ms. Johnston's partner, did not fare as well, being sentenced to two years behind bars and eight years probation. However, Michael Chastang, 28, got 10 years in prison for masterminding the robbery, and bank teller Bennie Allen III, 22, who copped a plea, got five years in jail and five years probation. Of course, these are two black men.
Edward Dubose, head of the Georgia NAACP, is outraged at the disparate sentencing and into petition Georgia Attorney General to look into the matter. "This is a case that clearly reflects unequal justice, " he said. "These two women referred to as the Barbie Bandits should have received sentences equal to the African Americans." What Dubose glosses over are a few inconvenient facts. Chastang and Allen are not choirboys. Chastang, who is serving 15 years on drug trafficking charges, has a criminal record on drug, firearms and weapons charges. And one cannot lose sight of the fact he masterminded the crime. Allen was on probation for a drug offense and refused to cooperate with the prosecution. In contrast, the two women had no prior criminal records and generally were cooperative with the prosecution.
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