Over and over again, the American justice system teaches us that it has very little value for black lives. We yell "black lives matter" by the millions because everything about the arc of this nation tells us they don't. Of all the ugliness and brutality against black bodies that I've waded through and dissected over the past few years, it'd be hard to say any of them were a bigger kick in the gut than what I'm about to tell you. Now, a family that has already had their loved one snatched from them is suffering yet another unthinkable indignity.

On Monday, March 28th, 2016, 16-year-old Quason Turner (his friends and family called him Qua), was walking home from his after-school job at Cherry Hill Mall in New Jersey. He was a wonderful kid known for his never-ending happiness and easy going nature. A popular sophomore at Pennsauken High School about 10 miles outside of Philadelphia, he had decided to go check on some friends before heading home for the night.

Susan Hyland, now 41, had a suspended driver's license at the time of the crash — one of 39 times her license was suspended, motor vehicle records show. Who knew a license could even be suspended so many times? She barreled over Quason as he crossed a highway, jumping over a median to see his friends.