AUBREY R. TAYLOR: "Judge Sherwood Bauer, Jr., sentenced Lamar Lloyd, a 21 year old Black guy to 26 years in prison for Armed Robbery, after Lamar Lloyd plead "NO CONTEST" to the crime. Prior to committing the Armed Robbery, Lamar only had a misdemeanor on his criminal record. You can (CLICK HERE) for more background on this particular story."
Both these Men Committed an Armed Robbery in Florida; But the 1300% Difference in their Sentences Make no Sense
AUBREY R. TAYLOR REPORTS©
The truth! Many criminals never get charged for crimes –
especially those who are sitting in elected positions and have political
connections – but that’s a story for another day. Anyways, according to “THE SENTENCING PROJECT” which does a lot of good work in the fighting against injustice
in our criminal justice system all across America, “Once arrested, people of color
are also likely to be charged more harshly than whites; once charged, they are
more likely to be convicted; and once convicted, they are more likely to face
stiff sentences – all after accounting for relevant legal differences such as
crime severity and criminal history.” So, what am I trying to say? Well, in
short, we have a lot of folks who are committing crimes, but are not doing the
time – it’s that simple!
TOUGH ON CRIME
Make no mistake about it – crime is at an all-time high all across
America. And according to the statistics, released a few months ago by HPD,
there was a 35% increase in homicides in 2021 compared to 2020. And if you ask
me, the commission of crimes is only going to get worse over the course of the
next year, unless we begin to address the root causes of why people are
committing crimes in the first place. Now, I know some of you “TOUGH ON CRIME”
folks are wondering where I’m going with this, so let me ease your mind. I’ve
been studying the criminal justice system, and the disparities in how sentences
have been doled out in Harris County, Texas for over 30 years. Yes – you heard
me right – for over 30 years I’ve been investigating the difference between how
people of different ethnicities are treated when it comes to local prosecutions,
arrests, and sentences.
THE 13th AMENDMENT
The first thing every warm-blooded American needs to understand is that the school to prison pipeline is real problem. And some people, who live in certain Black and Brown communities, have a 50% to 95% chance that they’re going to have a brush with the law at some point over the course of their life. And the next thing every American has to understand is that, the 13th Amendment clearly says, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” So, what does the 13th Amendment mean? Well, in a nutshell, the 13th Amendment means that, our penal system is really a form of modern-day slavery. Thus, I believe that we must pay much closer attention to the types of people we are electing into position of authority when it comes to certain elected positions of authority like: Criminal Court Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals, District Attorney, Mayor, and Sheriff.
SOMETHING WENT WRONG
I’ve seen, heard, and witnessed stories like what happened in regards to Chase Legleitner and Lamar Lloyd more times than I care to mention. And I’m telling you, something went very wrong in with the sentencing process whereas these two young men were concerned. Now, that being said, I totally understand that there were some underlining circumstances that allowed for Judge Sherwood Bauer Jr., to apply some discretion; but giving Lamar Lloyd, 26 years in prison, and Chase Legleitner only 2 years – time served is a little too much discretion – don’t you think?
JUDGES HAVE DISCRETION
At the end of the day, judges have a lot of discretion. Look, Chase Legleitner (a white male) pled “NO CONTEST” at 19 years of age for the crime of armed robbery, and was sentenced to 2 years by Judge Sherwood Bauer, Jr., in Florida. However, Lamar Lloyd (a Black male) pled “NO CONTEST” at 21 years of age and received a sentence of 26 years in prison by Judge Sherwood Bauer, Jr., who was appointed to Florida’s 19th Judicial Circuit Court by former Governor Jeb Bush back on May 2, 2005. Now, for all of you who don’t know would like to know more about this story, you can You can (CLICK HERE) for more background on this particular story."
