Warning: This post reveals spoilers of this week’s episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. If you have not seen the episode, I will not be offended if you do not read any further.
The premise of the episode is as follows: A transgender teen Avery Parker (Christopher Dylan) is taunted and attacked by a group of African-American teenagers. After sustaining traumatic injuries, he passes away from his injuries. One of the young men who attacked him, Darius McCrae (Dante Brown), is being tried as an adult for the crime.
The question posed around the squad room is a difficult one. Darius is only fifteen, should he be tried as an adult or as a juvenile?
What struck me about this episode was that hate is a waste. It is a waste of time, of breath, of life. The end result was that Darius was tried as an adult and his crime was labelled as a hate crime. He would not be a free man until he was in his 20’s.
There was no reason for Avery to die and Darius to spend his formative years in prison. In the end, two lives were forever changed and two families have to face the reality of the loss of their child.
I hope it was worth it. It feels like a waste to me.
Writergurlny 