The Root; Published By Kalyn Womack
Photo: Miami Dade Department of Corrections via AP (AP)
What’s the proper sentence for a man who walked up on a group of Black teens mind their business with a gun in hand and mouth full of racial slurs? According to NBC 6 South Florida, the man guilty of this very thing escaped prison time.
Mark Bartlett, 55, was accused of confronting a group of Black teens riding their bicycles in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day protest against housing inequality in 2019. Videos caught him charging toward the boys holding a handgun and yelling the n-word while they stopped traffic for the demonstration. Bartlett initially tried the good ol’ self-defense argument, insisting he was being “held hostage” in his own vehicle but Miami-Dade County Judge Alberto Milian wasn’t having it.
Honestly, what is reasonable about climbing out of your SUV to taunt a couple of Black kids? Bartlett pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal to get of serving years in prison.
“I apologize for my conduct that day. I was wrong to use those words and correct the pain that my words have caused anyone. I sincerely apologize,” was all he had to say for himself during the hearing… and also because an apology was part of the deal. Read more
