A Black man in Lubbock, Texas, was sentenced to 70 years in prison on Wednesday for spitting at police officers. It’s the kind of story where people are likely to read the headline and assume there’s more to the story—and there is. 36-year-old Larry Pearson, who was found guilty of two counts of harassment of a public servant for spitting at Lubbock Police officers, had prior criminal convictions. According to Everything Lubbock, he had previously been convicted of aggravated robbery and continuous family violence. In fact, at the time of his arrest last year, he had been accused of striking his girlfriend multiple times.

“You’re not going to get 70 years for something like this when you’ve never been in trouble before,” Prosecutor Jessica Gorman said after Pearson was sentenced.

From Everything Lubbock:

Gorman told EverythingLubbock.com that Pearson was arrested in May of 2022 for domestic violence after a victim flagged down an officer in the 200 block of Zenith Avenue.

The victim told police that Pearson hit her several times, and that he had a gun. Gorman said that firearm turned out to be an airsoft gun. A police report at the time stated the victim had “multiple visible injuries” on her face. Gorman said after Pearson was taken into custody, he was upset the victim was not arrested instead.

Gorman said Pearson started kicking at the doors in the officer’s vehicle. When the officers opened the door to tell him to stop, Gorman said he spit at both officers. Gorman said Pearson kept spitting after he arrived at the Lubbock County Detention Center.

During closing arguments of the sentencing phase of Pearson’s trial, Gorman asked the jury to consider a number that would “send a message” to Pearson and society. Gorman told EverythingLubbock.com that Pearson had prior convictions of aggravated robbery and continuous family violence. Due to those convictions, the minimum sentence Pearson could have received would’ve been 25 years.

Still, there’s something unsettling about a Black man receiving seven decades behind bars for a crime that shouldn’t yield nearly that much time in a gun-happy, Confederacy-celebrating, critical race theory-hating MAGA state like Texas.

And given that, in America, Black people receive disproportionately harsh sentences compared to white people who commit the same crimes and have similar criminal histories, it isn’t much of a stretch to speculate that if Pearson was white, his sentence would be closer to the minimum of 25 years. And thus, Pearson’s story is being debated on Twitter with some (mostly Black people) calling it unjust, and others (mostly white people) saying he earned 70 years in lockup for crimes that individually wouldn’t get anyone anywhere near that much time.

After spitting on officers in Tx, 36 year old Larry Pearson was found guilty of 2 counts of Harassment of a Public Official.
Jurors were asked to deliver a sentence that sent a message to him as well as society.
He was sentenced to 70 years in prison.
Racism lives and breaths. pic.twitter.com/AqXx7c63X1

— Suzanne (@suzyinthesun_s) April 14, 2023

Headline Correction: Man sentenced to 70 years after misdemeanor is the last straw in local jury’s view.

Larry Pearson was arrested for domestic violence and spat at every officer in range all the way through to corrections, he had prior convictions of aggravated robbery and…

— Eric Cromwell (@PrideOfHumility) April 13, 2023

A Black man…

Larry Pearson got 70 yrs for spitting at police

Yet cops…

Amber Guyger got 10 yrs for murdering Botham Jean

Jason Van Dyke got 6 yrs for murdering Laquan McDonald

Derek Chauvin got 22 yrs for murdering George Floyd

America pic.twitter.com/lKC9HLNClt

— Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) April 14, 2023

Let’s try that title again.

Texas man Larry Pearson who has numerous priors and beat up his girlfriend was already looking at a minimum 25 year sentence. So they sentenced him to 70 years to set an example. If he wasn’t a garbage human being he wouldn’t get the sentence

— IGZ (@igzrap) April 13, 2023

This is a prime example of why Black Americans must fight against a “White Judicial Systems” having any say over criminally punitive measures being administered to Black American. That responsibility should be solely at the hands of other Black Americans. https://t.co/we3QrJjOdS

— Denmark Vesey (@DenmarkVesey4) April 14, 2023

Many would argue that no one who hasn’t taken a life should spend the rest of theirs in prison and that Pearson is just another example of Black lives being treated as disposable. And it’s worth noting that this is another story that proves the “blue lives matter” movement is defective nonsense in a country where penalties for committing crimes against police officers are already more severe than when they’re committed against civilians. (Pearson wouldn’t likely have gotten that much time for spitting on a citizen regardless of his prior rap sheet.)

But will a man who has prior convictions that indicate he’s a violent abuser receive the same sympathy other victims of racial injustice get?

What do y’all think?

SEE ALSO:

Sounds About White: Capitol Rioter’s Light Prison Sentence Could Mean More Insurrectionist Leniency

Mississippi’s Top Court Upholds Life Sentence For Weed Conviction By ‘Habitual Offender’

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