[Photo:Flickr] Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently pardoned four people for crimes they committed years ago. He said these people had turned their lives around and deserved a second chance. These crimes included stealing, selling alcohol to someone under 21, driving while drunk, and interfering with an emergency call.  A pardon is when the government forgives someone for a crime they were convicted of. This does not mean they did not commit that crime; the crime is just cleared from their record. A pardon also gives back rights that may have been taken away, like voting or owning a gun.  Abbott granted clemency to seven people, four of them were pardons. Clemency means showing mercy to someone who has been convicted of a crime. A pardon is a kind of clemency, but clemency can also mean shortening someone’s prison sentence or delaying their punishment. Earlier this year, Abbott pardoned Daniel Perry, a former Army soldier who was convicted of killing Garrett Foster, at a Black Lives Matter protest in Austin, Tx in 2020. Perry claimed self-defense but was found guilty and sentenced to 25 years in prison.  Now, Abbott has pardoned people with minor offenses, like stealing and interfering with an emergency call. But the issue is, Black people in Texas are arrested for minor crimes more than any other group. Black Texans are jailed almost five times as often as white Texans, even though Black people only make up about 12% of the state’s population. The justice system is unfair to Black people, especially when it comes to small crimes like theft or disorderly conduct. Even for minor offenses, Black people are more likely to be arrested, charged, and sentenced to longer prison terms than others. Governor Abbott is a Republican, and Texas is a Republican-leaning state. Abbott has made decisions in the past that hurt Black Texans. For example, he supported strict voting laws and stopped diversity programs in schools. Proving that the well-being of all people, including Black people is not his number one priority.  Abbott says he pardoned people who he believes […]

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