Good News: Megan The Stallion Gets Justice For Christmas !
Imagine losing your mother and manager to brain cancer and losing your grandmother two weeks later, making you an orphan at the height of your music career.
Imagine less than a year later being assaulted with a loaded unregistered semiautomatic and being depicted as a black woman lying about a black man being your attacker.
Imagine this same black man that attacked you going on a campaign to discredit your trauma and making an entire album gaslighting you about the fact that he shot you.
Imagine getting on the internet for 2 years and no matter what records you’re breaking or history you’re making, all of it is overshadowed by the misogynistic attacks of men in the music industry and the ignorant internet victim shaming and blaming you for your own assault.
The road to Megan Thee Stallion’s justice was long, hard, and painful to watch as another black woman. It was also a reminder that black women are not protected when they come out about how they were abused and mistreated, which is why we don’t come forward with abuse when it happens.
The lengths that people went to in order to discredit this black woman were nothing short of sad, pathetic, and proof that a lot of people hate seeing black women winning.
When Megan The Stallion started her rap career she was praised for her confidence, sex appeal, and of course her natural talent for rapping! Despite all the praise and attention from the spotlight, Megan still remained a humble and focused college student as she continued to push this message to her fanbase to be proactive about their fitness, mental health, and self-love.
As soon as Megan came out about what actually happened to her at the hands of Tory Lanez, she went from being America’s favorite to public enemy number one so suddenly and swiftly! Her accolades and accomplishments took a back seat and she was placed on trial instantly by the court of public opinion.
“SHE WASN’T EVEN SHOT”
To be so bold to state that this woman wasn’t shot was beyond ridiculous. What kind of world do we live in where a woman is so invaluable that even her being shot is questionable? Ironic as it may be, Megan was shot at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement and stated she feared being forthcoming to the police on the scene because she didn’t want it to result in her, Kelsey, and Tory being shot.
Even though she made a choice to protect those that held no interest in protecting her, her actions are very understandable given the culture surrounding police in the black community. We all know that it's frowned upon to go to the police even when you are the victim of abuse. In our community, you’re labeled “ a snitch” for seeking justice for crimes committed against your persons.
When Megan was shot, she told the police she stepped on glass which altered the processes and protocol that would have been followed had she told the truth.
Two weeks after being shot, Megan was seen out in public going out and performing in heels. All of sudden everyone became physical therapists and began saying that her “speedy recovery” was just further proof that she was never shot, to begin with. The ignorance was so great that she felt compelled to post her injured foot as proof. Even still… everyone then became forensic pathologist experts in anatomy and made determinations that she was still lying because “ it didn’t look like bullet wounds”.
“HER SEXUAL HISTORY SHOWS HER CHARACTER”
This was said many a time during the journey to justice for Megan and I was lost each and every time it was said! Can someone please explain to me what in the f*** her sexual history has to do with her being shot?
The idea that a black woman’s sexual history justified her suffering injustice just goes to further demonstrate how much we are really hated. No matter what accomplishments you may have or how much you may contribute to your community it doesn’t matter if whom you slept with can be identified.
A black woman’s choice of sexual partners should not make her exempt from being protected and respected but we all know that is far from the truth in this current generation. The belief that black women are sexually lewd is an ideology that stems from slavery but has been kept alive by misogynoir and patriarcharchy. Black women have been and still are categorized as “Jezebels” to rationalize the mistreatment and abuse we are constantly made to suffer and endure.
I do not fault Megan for denying she had no sexual ties to Tory Lanes in her interview with Gayle King because WHO WOULD WANT TO CLAIM SOMEONE THAT SHOT THEM? Regardless of her sexual history with him or other men, none of that has anything to do with her being assaulted by a black man.
“HIS DNA WASN’T EVEN ON THE GUN. HOW IS HE GUILTY?”
I saw so many people online upset about Daystar being found guilty despite the fact that “his DNA wasn’t found on the gun.” This was the single and most frequently made statement that made it crystal clear to me that this generation is riddled with people who do not know how to read or lack reading comprehension skills.
His DNA was not found on the magazine of the gun but was ruled inconclusive on the handgun itself. But what does this actually mean?
There are 3 ways to interpret the results of DNA analysis: inclusion, exclusion, and inconclusive. If the DNA is matched on the evidence to a person, the results are deemed inclusive but it doesn’t mean the person is guilty. If DNA is not matched on evidence to a person, the results are deemed exclusive but it doesn't mean a person is innocent. When the DNA results are found to be inconclusive, this means that the evidence does not prove anything due to the limited amount of DNA available at the scene of a crime. Inconclusive results can often occur when corrupt DNA samples are used to create a DNA profile.
Nonetheless, his DNA results were never ruled exclusive on the handgun… they were ruled inconclusive. Typically, when inconclusive evidence is used in court its best practice to interpret the evidence alongside all of the other pieces of evidence in a case. Let’s go over some of the evidence that was presented at trial, shall we?
- Kelsey Harris, the former friend of Megan Thee Stallion, took the stand and asked for immunity even though the DA had no intent to prosecute her. She plead the fifth for most of her testimony until she was asked if Tory Lanez had threatened her and called her names. She was non-responsive until the DA reminded her that she had already confirmed these things in her September 2022 interview with the prosecution.
- Prosecutor Alexander Bott presented the text messages that Kelsey sent to Megan’s former bodyguard at 4:27 am that read: “ Help” “ Tory shot Meg” and “911”.
- Sean Kelly was an eyewitness in the neighborhood that became the crime scene for the shooting that occurred. Although Sean was called as the defense’s witness, he testified that he saw muzzle flashes on the night of the assault. He stated he witnessed “two girls fighting violently.” He identified Tory Lanez as the shooter and claimed that he heard at least “ four or five” of the shots. He also stated he witnessed Tory Lanez, Kelsey, and the bodyguard punching and kicking Megan as she was on the ground in fetal position and he believed they were “trying to kill her.”
- Three sets of DNA were found on the firearm which could be male or female. Due to this reason, the results were deemed inconclusive.
- Dr. Lee Haruno, chief resident in Cedars- Sinai Medical Center's orthopedic surgery department, confirmed that Megan Thee Stallion was shot despite the narrative that claimed she was not shot. Dr. Haruno detailed the gruesome bullet wounds and explained the X-rays of Megan’s injuries. On Megan’s left foot there were “ two metallic foreign bodies” visible outside of her heel bone. The same “ metallic foreign bodies” were identified in the Achilles of her right foot. Megan testified she still has pain and suffers from nerve damage in her feet. Dr. Haruno confirmed that the pain she feels will be persistent due to fragments that still remain in her feet.
- It was confirmed Tory Lanez and Kelsey Harris BOTH tested positive for gun residue. Gun residue particles traveled quickly but the results show that they were both in the same vicinity.
- Tory Lanez publicly denied Kelsey Harris was the shooter on social media. Shortly thereafter, he was actually arrested in the summer of 2020 for violating the terms of the pre-trial protective order for subliminally making posts that were directed toward Megan.
- Tory Lanez was identified by 3 people including the victim as the shooter INCLUDING the victim herself.
As previously stated, these are just SOME of the facts that were presented in court that made it crystal clear WHO assaulted Megan Thee Stallion. The harsh reality is that even with all the facts, evidence, and testimonies given people are still committed to depicting Tory as the victim in this unfortunate and abusive experience for Megan.
Even though many of us black women do not have a personal relationship with Megan The Stallion, a lot of us found it easy to stand WITH Megan because of our personal experiences of being victimized within our families and communities. Too often black women are “lured into telling their truth” only to be crucified for doing whilst their abusers are protected by the denial of their truth.
It seems that the protection of a black woman is extremely conditional and predicated on never holding abusers accountable. Although it shouldn’t have to be said, protecting black women begins with believing in our pain the first time we are brave enough to own traumatic experiences by speaking out. Protecting black women means defending us by supporting our journey to justice. Protecting black women shouldn’t be commodified to protect abusive men.
I also learned that outside of black men that do not care to protect black women, there are countless black women that do not care to protect the next black woman either. I think that this is a true reflection of the self-hate that some women carry. The number of black women I witnessed come onto the internet to bat for this black man was quite astounding and extremely disappointing. It never ceases to amaze me that black women are each other’s biggest critics and are the quickest to bring one another down.
I know that as people being pinned up against one another is learned behavior rooted in slavery but at some point in time, we have to take accountability for our culture and do better. The time to support and stand with one another is now if we want to change the narrative and ensure the protection of black women is more than a hashtag.
Haven’t said all of that, I am not naive to think that JUSTICE FOR MEGAN means that ignorance will evaporate into thin air overnight. With that being said, I’ve made it a personal point of duty to delete anyone supporting Tory Lanez from my social media. The logical conclusion can be drawn that if you publicly support an abuser, you condone abuse, and more than likely have abused someone in some capacity privately.
Like many black women in support of Megan, I am extremely relieved that Tory Lanez was found guilty and I am looking forward to him being sentenced. I hope that Kelsey is held accountable as well because her actions were detrimental too. It is very evident that she accepted a bribe from Tory and lied on the stand which is punishable by law in the state of California.
Nonetheless, I am happy that Megan can move on from such a horrific experience that left her feeling suicidal. I am praying that she receives the healing and peace that she desperately needs and deserves. She may have involuntarily become the face of the victimized black woman in this generation but I look forward to her becoming the poster black woman for rising above the bulls*** of misogyny and abuse that comes with walking in your truth.
Merry Christmas Miss. Megan Pete! Justice has been served.
