There are too many stories about Black, brown and poor people being arrested unjustly and sent to prisons. More of these people than the system wants us to know about are not only innocent, but are being held for years without a trial. Some of the most egregious are being investigated Sean King in his report tomorrow on The Tom Joyner Morning Show (KISS 104.1FM in Atlanta).
If you miss the report Monday morning, you can find it at BlackAmericaWeb.com
Also, Related is a story CBS Sunday Morning did on the fact that there really is not “equal justice under the law” as is claimed in America. They reported on a broken system whereby court appointed attorneys rarely, if ever, have a chance to investigate cases or meet their clients before the trial date. Then they encourage their clients to take a plea and serve time despite their innocence and no evidence being presented. Yale law school Professor Stephen Bright calls it the “Meet ’em and plead ’em” defense.
From Cordele, Georgia to New Orleans, Louisiana and in numerous courts across the U.S. this is the norm. In one Louisiana city where there is only one attorney who represents all who cannot afford an attorney. In some towns like Cordele, Georgia, the accused go before the judge in groups of 10 or more. Often the public defender does not even know what each client looks like. Yet, one by one, each person in the group pleads guilty and accepts the sentence regardless of the sentence length since they cannot afford to pay for an attorney.
Then, many of them lose their job, home and children. Well, when Shanna Shackelford was accused of arson after a rental home she own caught on fire less than a year after she increased the insurance coverage, her public defender told her to plead guilty and take the 25 year sentence. Her court appointed attorney did not help her. So about two years later, and after much frustration, Shackelford was able to get help. An investigation that took two weeks revealed it was an electrical fire, not arson. Well, she had served two years in jail, lost her home and everything. Then it took theee years to get her record cleared so she could get a job. See the full story at: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/unequal-justice-under-the-law/
This proves the color of justice is green.
Is this acceptable in the “land of the free, home of the brave”…or “with liberty and justice for all”?
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