Guilty by Name

A woman calls the police to report a stolen vehicle. They come to her house and arrest her for another crime. Nothing else matched the facts about the supposed culprit, except her first name, Teresa. The woman spent 53 days in jail before she was cleared of any wrongdoing.

Did this happen in some backward country? No. Did it take place in one of those totalitarian regimes that are being toppled around the world? No. Did this happen in some small town, where the rule of law depends on one person? Again, no.

This Kafkaesque episode took place in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. And, of course, the woman is black.

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