Photo: Daniel H. Birman Productions
When she was 16, Cyntoia Brown was put in prison with eligibility for parole after her 69th birthday after being convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated robbery. At the time, she had been forced into prostitution and later tried as an adult after killing a man who had brought her home for sex. Her case was given attention in late November after celebrities like Kim Kardashian West, Rihanna and Snoop Dogg began posting about it on social media.
Much of the controversy surrounds the fact that when she was arrested in 2004, federal laws had not yet fully introduced legislation to protect victims of sex trafficking. Back then, she was tried as a prostitute, but now she would be viewed as a "young girl who's involved in sex trafficking" according to Dan Birman, who made a documentary about Brown in 2011. Advocates and supporters of Brown also suggest she was wrongfully tried as an adult.
While, of course, murder is a serious act, I believe the justice system has failed Brown and her case deserves to be reconsidered, especially under the newer laws that are supposed to protect minors involved in sex trafficking. She was put in an extremely difficult situation, and was essentially forced to protect herself in an extreme manner. I argue that it would have been more unlikely that Brown would have done such a thing had she not been forced into prostitution, and I also think she should have been tried as a minor, especially given the unfair, harsh circumstances.
What is your opinion on this case? Should Brown have been tried as a minor? Why or why not? On the topic of celebrities trying to hold the system accountable through using their platforms, to what extent do you think they are impactful? What are some obstacles that Brown, her team and advocates may encounter as they try to get her case reconsidered?
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20 comments:
In my opinion, I definitely think Brown should have been tried as a minor because she was only 16 when the incident happened. Although she murdered someone, one can argue it was in self defense, and she was just trying to protect herself. Since this case was in 2004, there have been many laws passed to address the issue of sex trafficking, therefore I feel like Brown's case should get reopened and further looked into to see if her punishment fit the crime. To address the second question, I think that celebrities have a huge influence on their followers and supporters. People look up to some celebrities as role models, and using their platform to address certain topics is very impactful. Because of their fame and popularity, posting this incident on social media brings attention and makes people more aware of this situation that Brown is going through.
I agree with you and Jason and I believe that because the case was so harsh and she was actually a minor at the time, she should've been tried as a minor. I think also that even if she wasn't tried as a minor, she should've not at all had punishment because it was a case of self defense. As for the celebrities question, I think you bring up a very valid point. I actually heard about this case on instagram (i don't specifically remember who posted). I was pretty angry when seeing this because she was clearly failed by the justice system. I am pretty sure that celebrities should continue their activities because they are generally influential people and they make it easier for word to spread to the general public. I think the biggest obstacle she and her team will face is that the people who need to handle this case will claim that they are too busy with other important matters. But I do think celebrities are helping her case because they seem to be the first ones to even bring this to attention. If they keep doing what they are doing, her case would have a much better chance of being reconsidered because people are generally in accord with celebrities. I am also sure that just by looking at such injustice, people will be angry enough to pressure a reconsideration of this case.
I think that Cynthia Brown was wrongfully convicted and does deserve to be retried under the new legislation. However, I also think that the outcome of the case would not have changed that much. While it is clear that this was done in self-defense, Cynthia Brown did still commit a first-degree murder. I do not know the exact details of what happened during the incident, but there could have been other ways for Cynthia Brown to defend herself without killing the person. This alone can make her murder unjustifiable. I also think that while celebrities have a huge influence on public opinion, it would not make a huge impact on the outcome of the case. It is human nature to want share the opinions of famous people. However, it is unlikely that the jury and judges would be affected by this even after hearing the arguments of both sides.
I believe that Cyntoia Brown should have been tried as a minor since she was only 16 at the time of the incident. Even though this case is more complicated, and sometimes minors are tried as adults in more serious situations, in Brown’s case I believe she still should have been charged as a minor despite the severity of her crime. I think that celebrities are very positively impactful when they use their platforms for good reasons. In this case, I believe that Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, and Snoop Dogg are truly helping start a conversation about sex trafficking, as well as the laws and stigmas surrounding it. As far as some obstacles, Brown’s team may find it hard to justify how simple client for her prostitution became dead as the prosecution may ask, “was that amount of force necessary?” So, Brown’s team must use all the evidence possible in order to prove that killing the man was 100% necessary for her safety.
I strongly believe that she should be tried as a minor in this case. Additionally, the court charged her without a full scope of the effects of sex trafficking. It seems as though the system keeps failing her repeatedly without a second look or self reflection. Celebrities are often not reliable sources for news, however, their ability to make the masses aware of an issue is a valuable asset. People care about what celebrities care about, and they are using their voice to stand up for a young woman who has been repeatedly mistreated.
Building on the comments above, I think that Brown should be tried as a minor in this case. I like how this case has been brought up because it shows how corrupt the justice system is. I hope that this case will promote change in the sex trafficking industry.
Brown definitely should have been tried as a minor in this case. She was 16 at the time of the murder. Also, the circumstances of the murder showed that she could have been justified in her actions because she was acting in self-defense. Considering that she was a victim of prostitution at such a young age, I do not think a life sentence is fair for her. I am confident that with more people speaking up about Brown now, something will be done about her case.
I think it's good that there are celebrities are bringing this case to attention. While the justice system is long and arduous, I think that the presence of these celebrities are an effective medium for exposing information to the public, especially since a large amount of the American public follows these celebrities and not other sources of news.
Agreeing with the people above, I think that Cynthia Brown 100% should have been tried as a minor given that she was under 18 when she did this. I also agree with the others in how her actions could have definitely been seen as self-defense; she was protecting herself.
I think that Cynthia Brown will be reconsidered because the media is blowing this thing up, as it should be. I think there is too much outrage (or at least from what I've seen) for this to be ignored. I also think that it was a good idea by celebrities to bring this up because of their popularity. I think it was smart of them to use the power they have to do something like this. However, I don't think there is much more they can do at this point.
I think it is unfair to try has an adult because when looking at the complexity and severity. Her previous crime should not be held against her, as it has no relation to this case, and people should be protected when their body and life is violated. This was a mere case of self-defence, as her sex offender had weapons on him and was threatening her life. Despite being traumatized by the sexual abuse, she now is accused of a crime she committed in order to save herself. I do appreciate celebrities using their platform to speak out about injustices because it sheds light on how skewed the system can be. It is disappointing to see that someone affiliated with a certain race and with privilege can get away with minimal sentencing (Brock Turner). The issue that they may face is to get witnesses to testify to the events that occurred because it is obvious that members of her sex offenders “gang” would not testify in favor of Brown. Furthermore no one was personally there to witness the abuse and offenses conducted against Brown.
I agree with the statements above saying that it is unfair for Cynthia Brown to be tried as an adult, especially since she was 16 at the time of the murder. I also agree that her actions were out of self-denfense and are therefore justified to some extent. She was being harassed and violated and she acted in order to save her own life. I think it is a good thing that celebrities are using their platform to bring attention to this issue. Celebrities have such a big influence on society and should definitely be held accountable for being a good influence. Though they might not always be reliable sources of news, I think their voices are very impactful.
I think that whenever a celebrity uses their voice, they are impacting someone. Without Kim, Rihanna, or Snoop Dogg speaking out, this case would have been forgotten. Cynthia Brown is 29 years old and has the learning ability of a child, with that reasoning she should definitely be tried as a minor.
I think that it is important for celebrities to use their platforms to bring attention to injustices. Brown was 16 at the time of the murder, so she should be tried as a minor. Without celebrities like Kim or Snoop Dogg, her case would have gone unnoticed, and she would most likely be convicted of a crime she committed as a 16 year in danger because she was involved in sex trafficking. I think it is important that her case be looked at differently, because she was put in an awful situation, and killed a man because she thought that was the only way to protect herself. I would hope that she has a fair trial, and I think that's why those celebrities stepped in as well.
I think it is absolutely awful that on top of all of the trauma Brown has suffered as a result of her sex trafficking, she was sent to jail. She was being raped as a minor by a man who bought her as a sex slave and she goes to jail for defending herself? Considering her situation, I am shocked that anyone would prosecute against her and that anyone (be it jury or judge in a bench trial) would find her guilty.
I think it is completely unfair that Brown was charged as an adult when she was a minor. I agree with the comments above that her case should be re-examined and re-opened to be more fair and bring justice to her. I think they should consider all the factors about sex- trafficking because they are punishing her for something that was not in her control and her only choice was to protect herself. I also believe that it is important for the most well known celebrities to use their platforms to bring attention to her, and many other victims of injustice. I think more people follow celebrities than newspapers/ tv news, so they are able to bring more attention among their followers.
A couple blog posts down from this, there's a post about sexual harassment within Congress. Here we have another case where a MINOR is being sexually taken advantage of. Not only was her 16-year-old body being used for the pleasure of a 40-year-old, but the lifelong trauma she would endure seems unbearable. I think the celebrity attention this case is receiving, especially from female icons, brings about a strong sense of unity within women. In today's society, it's becoming more common that women have the courage to speak up when they are being sexually harassed, and in Cytonia's case, she was a young minor that did what she needed to do to feel safe. She definitely deserved to be tried as a minor and it seems completely unfair for her to spend a majority of her life in prison for a decision she made as a kid.
It is unfair to charge Brown as an adult when she is a minor. This case must be reopened because the current decision is unfair. While murder is awful, it could have been for self defense. While celebrities have a lot of influence,they change the verdict of the case.
It is unfair to charge Brown as an adult due to the traumatic and difficult situation she was involved in and the fact that there were no significant protections given to victims of sex trafficking at the time of her arrest. Brown has shown no violent tendencies in the past that prove a malicious intent, and it is impossible to act and think clearly when threatened with abuse. Celebrities using their platforms to seek justice is extremely effective, as celebrities have a lot of influence and wealth. However, it is absurd that a celebrity would need to step in on a case like this, where it is obvious that the Brown could not consent. We should not have to rely on celebrities to prevent wrongful sentences, as our government should have sufficient protections in place for victims of sex trafficking. I believe that sex trafficking laws should be reexamined in order to make sure that victims are protected in all circumstances to prevent another unfair sentence.
This is a case of whether Brown was acting out of defense and whether or not she had to kill. I believe that even though murder is a big deal, she reacted out of self defense. In addition, I agree with many comments above stating that she should not be charged as an adult, but as a minor. These experiences may be even more traumatic for a minor, causing them to not think about their actions. When you are in trouble, you go into flight of fight andI believe that this "fight was completely out of self defense.
I believe with Winston that while murder is a very serious crime, Brown was in a difficult situation that had few choices. Furthermore, I do not think she should be charged as an adult because as a minor or even as an adult it is not a situation a person would know how to handle correctly and what to do. The act was in self defense and her punishment was too harsh I believe. Also, I believe celebrities have a huge impact on how people think. People that look up to celebrities will most likely support their decisions and ideals.
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