Letter: Is this criminal justice?

Apr 6, 2021
Apr 6, 2021 Updated Apr 6, 2021
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Grandpa Apr 6, 2021 8:37am

Here is a Headline in today's media that supports this commentary: Nolte: Prominent BLM Activist Threatens Cities ‘on Fire’ if Chauvin Not Convicted. I interpret this to mean: We don't care if he is legally guilty, if you don't find him guilty we will burn down America. Is this jury intimidation? Should there be a mistrial? How will our justice system respond? Will they continue to turn a blind eye? Stay safe, but refuse to be intimidated.

janzah12 Apr 6, 2021 8:48am

It has been 151 years since black people have been given the right to vote, not long after the end of slavery. The vast majority of BLM protests were peaceful. Infiltrators made them violent. It is time that police face consequences of their continued racial unequal treatment of black citizens in this country. If 155 years is not enough, then how long is?

Grandpa Apr 6, 2021 9:05am

So, are you saying that because of past racial mistreatment it is ok for Police to turn a blind eye and allow this violence to continue? I don't care if it is just a few infiltrators, this violence must not be allowed to continue.

In High School I was required to read The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. The book is about a group of school boys that are shipwrecked on a deserted island. Without laws and law enforcement to maintain civil order, one group of boys descended into brutality and violence. The lawless group was led by a boy that was hungry for power and recognition. His own ego brought out this inner evil and savagery. This same lawlessness can be seen in big cities, where people dare to think, and even do, what would be unthinkable in small communities; communities where law and order also includes peer pressure. In The Lord of the Flies, one bad act emboldened the boys to do more evil things. Is this America’s problem? Is the violence that occurs every day on the streets of America a perfect example of William Golding’s philosophy of the evil in man? And, if the perpetrators get away with these violent acts, does it not embolden others to commit crimes?

Grandpa Apr 6, 2021 11:09am

And another thing, before you wallow in a White Guilt Trip allow me to acknowledge that blacks have been unfairly treated by a small percentage of the population; such as the Klan. This did continue for a long time – but allow me to emphasize it was a small percentage of the population. As far as the police, yes they used unspeakable violence toward Blacks during the Protest Marches of the early 1960’s, but that went out with the bath water. I suspect that you never witnessed any of this, you just want to recoil and believe half-truths. In the 1960’s a lack of confidence in policing began to emerge because of the social unrest, rising crime rates, and skepticism of the effectiveness in standard approaches to policing. In response, beginning in the 1980’s and 1990’s police policies took a more proactive approach; think of Rudy Giuliani’s policies in NY city and Joe Biden’s 1994 Crime Bill which instituted the ‘3-strikes and you’re out’ policy that incarcerated thousands of young men of color. The goal of these new policing practices were the prevention and reduction of crime and disorder. So, what you know as unfair police policies toward minorities is only thirty years old – probably about your age.

NC Scientist Apr 7, 2021 2:12pm

“The lawless group was led by a boy that was hungry for power and recognition. His own ego brought out this inner evil and savagery”

Sounds like a good description of Trump and his insurrectionists of January 6.

I don’t believe that there is any doubt that officer Chauvin murdered Mr. Floyd- and he should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. The police have a difficult and important job- we should support them- but not worship them- and we must expect the highest standards of them.

Anyone who riots (BLM, Trumpists, etc.) should be punished equally and without favor. We should never tolerate lawlessness. From anyone- no one shoukd be above the law.

Grandpa Apr 7, 2021 3:55pm

Hi Sci-fi guy. Your hatred for Trump should not be part of the discussion. Now, I will say that the video was pretty condemning, but the Constitution affords officer Chauvin Due Process of the law. That means that you can't decide guilt or innocence until the evidence has been debated. Based on just what I saw, I have a preconceived notion of guilt. And while his actions were certainly out of line, he was trying to subdue a rather large man that resisted being placed in the patrol car. If I were the cop I would have allowed him to escape. After all, I knew who he was so I could have gone to his residence at any point and served an arrest warrant, but that's just me. Perhaps the restrain was severe, but perhaps it was the drugs or the heart disease that actually killed him. I would like to hear the evidence. But the article was about the intimidation and threats of violence that seemed to have determined the course of this criminal process. I hope that Chauvin would have been arrested without the violence and looting, but maybe not - which would have been a travesty. The article mentioned several things that I don't agree with, but I do wonder if officer Chauvin will receive a fair trail. First, everyone on that jury knows the spoken threats of burning the city if he is acquitted so will that influence the verdict? Personally, if I were a black juror, given the history of Black men being killed or wrongly convicted, I would vote to acquit, and perhaps 'hang the jury.' Just for perspective, the last lynching in America occurred in 1981 in Mobile, Alabama. A Black man was accused of murder and went to trial (I don't remember the exact details) and the Blacks on the jury voted to acquit - which hung the jury. The accused man was released where he was later attacked, beaten and killed by some Klan members. The accused Black man's body was then hanged from a tree. So, there is certainly precedence for hanging a jury in a case like this - not saying that a black jurist fifty years later would resort to this tactic, I just added it for historical perspective. One last point, there are a few bad cops, just as there are a few men that beat their wives, but overall I believe that the police do a good job in today's stressful environment. Stay safe, and may something bless you.