Sex Offender with 103 Priors Hurts 92-Year-Old Woman [OPINION]

A poor excuse of a man who was caught on surveillance video pushing a 92-year-old woman to the ground in New York City last week had 103 prior arrests on his rap sheet at the time. Why was he on the street in the first place?

Thirty-one-year-old Rashid Brimmage, a Black man, is seen in the video shoving the elderly woman – whose name is Geraldine – to the ground. The woman banged her head on a fire hydrant and suffered cuts and bruises in the incident. Geraldine is White. I can't help given the current climate we are living in to think about what might have happened if Brimmage was White and Geraldine was Black.

There were no riots for Geraldine. No one looted anything or marched with signs that read "OLD LADY LIVES MATTER." Brimmage has been charged with assault but should he not be facing hate crimes as well? Was the attack racially motivated? Geraldine is an elderly woman. That in and of itself should be enough to put this creep away for a long time.

How does a guy with 103 prior arrests just since 2005 get to walk the streets where he can victimize old ladies? Why is no one in the New York criminal justice system being held accountable for this?

Brimmage's rap sheet includes a host of petty crimes and sexual offenses, according to the New York Post. Those offenses include touching women inappropriately and exposing and fondling himself in public. He is a registered sex offender. Brimmage is currently facing charges of possession of a controlled substance, assault and attempted assault charges according to the Post.

As a result of the attack, Geraldine is afraid to walk the streets of New York alone after doing so for more than 50 years. Her building super has to find volunteers to walk with her to the park and the market. What a damn shame. Geraldine's life matters but it has been changed forever.

If you want to talk about the need for criminal justice reform, this animal is the poster child for that debate.

Justice for Geraldine. No justice, no peace!

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.