11 of rapist and serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer's victims were Black. Many viewers of a 2022 Netflix series about Dahmer are finding this out for the first time - and the police's role in him getting away with murder.
In 1992, relatives of Dahmer's victims detailed the systemic racism that saturated his case. Court officers disrespected them. Only one Black jury member was selected.
And police had delayed catching Dahmer in the first place - perhaps because many of his victims were Black, poor, LGBTQ+, and sex workers.
It wasn't like cops didn't have help either. Dahmer's Black neighbor Glenda Cleveland repeatedly warned them. Cleveland’s daughter and niece tried rescuing 14-year-old Konerak Sinthasomphone, but police handed him back into Dahmer's clutches!
We slip through the cracks because the criminal legal system intentionally ignores our cries for help. To police, we're "criminals," not victims.
And unfortunately, sensationalized crime media too often fails to humanize or compensate victims and their families.
"They didn't ask me anything. They just did it," said Rita Isbell, sister of victim Errol Lindsey - who herself was depicted in the series. "... they're just making money off of this tragedy."
In the face of exploitation and dehumanization, we have to keep looking out for each other. Dahmer’s victims, survivors, and victims’ families deserved better - from everyone.