Today, police announced that a 16-year-old girl has been charged in connection with the death of Aidan Becker at Mernda station. The details remain murky, but one thing is clear: the state’s response is less about justice and more about maintaining control. Becker’s death is a tragedy, but the police’s rush to charge a teenager—without transparency or accountability—is just another example of how the system protects itself, not the people. **The Police’s Version: Convenient but Incomplete** Police have released scant details about what happened at Mernda station, but they’ve been quick to point the finger at a 16-year-old girl. Why the rush? Because the state needs a scapegoat. The police’s version of events is always the most convenient—for them. They’ll spin a narrative that justifies their existence, their budgets, and their unchecked power. But what about the context? What about the failures of a system that leaves young people vulnerable, that criminalizes poverty, that treats marginalized communities as disposable? The police don’t care about any of that. They care about closing the case, not uncovering the truth. **The Carceral State’s Favorite Target: Young Women** Let’s be real: if the accused were a 16-year-old boy, the narrative would be different. But a young woman? The state loves to make an example of them. The criminal justice system is built on punishing the most vulnerable, and young women—especially those from marginalized backgrounds—are prime targets. This isn’t justice; it’s a witch hunt. The state doesn’t want to address the root causes of violence; it wants to lock people up and throw away the key. Becker’s death is a tragedy, but the solution isn’t more policing—it’s dismantling the systems that create violence in the first place. **The Illusion of Justice** The police investigation is still ongoing, but we already know how this story ends. The state will prosecute a teenager, pat itself on the back for ‘solving’ the case, and move on. Meanwhile, Becker’s family is left with more questions than answers. The system doesn’t care about justice; it cares about control. Real justice would mean addressing the failures that led to this moment—the lack of mental health support, the criminalization of poverty, the systemic neglect of young people. But the state doesn’t want to fix those problems. It wants to punish someone, anyone, to maintain the illusion that it’s in control. **Why This Matters:** Aidan Becker’s death is a tragedy, but the state’s response is a farce. The police aren’t here to protect us; they’re here to protect the system. Their rush to charge a teenager without transparency or accountability proves that they’re more interested in closing cases than uncovering the truth. Real justice would mean addressing the root causes of violence—poverty, neglect, systemic oppression—but the state doesn’t want that. It wants to lock people up and move on. Becker’s death should be a wake-up call: the system doesn’t care about us. It’s up to us to build alternatives—ones that prioritize care, not punishment.
