I’d been following the Tessa Majors story since it began. It
is a sensational case, I can’t help that — a talented and accomplished young
woman in her first year at a prestigious New York City College. The major NY and other media is all over the
story, often with unreliable results.
Some reports said Tessa had gone to the park for a nighttime
jog. Others said she was going for a
walk. An ill-thought out remark by one
police union official offended the murder victim’s family when he said Tessa
had gone down into the park to buy marijuana. According to the New York Post, this
speculation came from a “college friend of the victim.”
Tessa’s parents and
others were quick to point out Mullin’s comment reflected a blame-the-victim
mentality. True or not, the comment should
never have been made. Mullins issued a quick and warranted apology.
The newest public
characterization of this horrible murder is that Tessa fought back, biting one
of her assailant’s finger. This
information may or may not have come from the 13 year old who is in custody. Wouldn’t this also be interpreted by some as a
blame-the-victim trope? Doesn’t it send
the message that fighting back against muggers could get you killed?
The thirteen year old
currently in custody appears in a video which his lawyer touts to make the case
that the thirteen-year-old (named in the NY Post) did not stab the victim but
handed the knife to the teen who did.
Later it emerged that one of the assailants dropped a knife. The thirteen-year-old picked it up and handed
it back to the assailant who repeatedly stabbed Tessa, one blow striking under
her armpit and reaching her heart.
I have many questions.
The biggest one is this: Why did
the ‘boys’ who robbed Tessa Majors have to kill her? They could have robbed Tessa and vanished
into the city as they’d likely done before. I can't help but wonder if too many public political attacks
on color, class and privilege had contributed to the vicious mindsets of the
young teen perpetrators.
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