Our Rights, Not Miranda’s

In 1989, five teenagers,

Korey Wise, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana,

Antron McCray and Kevin Richardson, were wrongfully accused and convicted of rape and assault of a white, female jogger in Central Park of New York City.

You have the right to remain silent
once the badge breaks your voice.
Anything or nothing you say
will be used against you in a room
where the only thing dark as you
are briefcases and dress shoes.
You have no right to truth,
justice or refutable evidence.
If you can’t afford OJ’s team,
none will be provided, suggested,
or informed of your situation.
Do you understand the number
of prison fights
you will encounter once the judge
Convicts your color, not your case?
With this likelihood in mind,
do you wish to make me upset?
I hope not because if you do,
No commissary or good behavior
will prevent the outcome of your confinement.

Calvin W. Pennywell, Jr. (2019)