A little justice, not much peace
Walter Ogrod was a 23-year-old with autism when Philadelphia police talked him into confessing to the rape and murder of a 4-year-old girl. He spent the next 28 years in prison, 23 of them on death row. Yesterday his conviction was overturned and he went home. The work of Tom Lowenstein and the Philadelphia City Paper convinced District Attorney Larry Krasner to order a DNA test, which established Ogrod's innocence. (While in prison he contracted and recovered from covid, too.)
The slightly less courageous DA of Erie County, John Flynn, says he waited until today to charge the two officers who shoved 75-year-old Martin Gugino to the ground because he was afraid no police would respond if there was trouble in downtown Buffalo last night. The symbiotic relationship between police and prosecutors, exacerbated by the uniquely American practice of electing district attorneys, has long been at the heart of our justice problems.
Testifying against police can be as dangerous as encountering them on the street. A woman who testified against Amber Guyger, the Dallas police officer who shot Botham Jean in his apartment, lost her job after her boss got calls describing her as a "radical" and a "black extremist." She doesn't want her name publicized because another witness, Joshua Brown, was murdered last year. He was shot twice in the chest and once in the mouth, the traditional organized crime method of sending a message to squealers. (And come to think of it, Frank Serpico.) Guyger got ten years and a hug from the judge.
Reporters and ordinary folks with cameras continue to risk their lives documenting the police violence that meets protests against police violence. We have attracted the attention of the International Crisis Group and the UN high commissioner for human rights. It seems that no genuine protesters have heard of our sacred Second Amendment, or they would come packing, right? At least in the "open carry" and "stand your ground" states. Fortunately, they have not.
Professional football players received permission from Roger Goodell to exercise their First Amendment rights by kneeling during the national anthem. This elicited the predictable squeal of outrage from Trump, who is even mad at Drew Brees for criticizing and then reversing his criticism of the practice. More bad Trump news: Princess finally got invited to give a virtual commencement speech at Wichita State University (I know, not even U. of Kansas), but they decided that in view of Daddy's vast unpopularity right now, what with the pandemic, the police brutality and sundry other examples of gross incompetence, the students were in no mood for her banalities and would virtually walk out. Ivanka, who recently added Official Bible Bearer to her other duties, complained about "cancel culture" and the stifling of free speech on campuses. She also released her text, whose flavor can be enjoyed through one sentence: "...I have found that my greatest personal growth has arisen from times of discomfort and uncertainty." I was wondering where all that personal growth came from.
Trump's inauguration was sparsely attended, but he finally drew a significant crowd to Washington by deploying troops in its streets while cowering in a bunker. Mayor Muriel Bowser responded with style and imagination, painting BLACK LIVES MATTER in huge yellow letters two blocks long where he can't help seeing it and once again raising the long-simmering issue of statehood for the District of Columbia. Expect it to be introduced in the new Congress, perhaps in a Senate presided over by Vice President Bowser. Why not, Joe?
And now, some happy time -- from Atlanta, a line of protesters joins the Georgia National Guard in the Macarena.
The slightly less courageous DA of Erie County, John Flynn, says he waited until today to charge the two officers who shoved 75-year-old Martin Gugino to the ground because he was afraid no police would respond if there was trouble in downtown Buffalo last night. The symbiotic relationship between police and prosecutors, exacerbated by the uniquely American practice of electing district attorneys, has long been at the heart of our justice problems.
Testifying against police can be as dangerous as encountering them on the street. A woman who testified against Amber Guyger, the Dallas police officer who shot Botham Jean in his apartment, lost her job after her boss got calls describing her as a "radical" and a "black extremist." She doesn't want her name publicized because another witness, Joshua Brown, was murdered last year. He was shot twice in the chest and once in the mouth, the traditional organized crime method of sending a message to squealers. (And come to think of it, Frank Serpico.) Guyger got ten years and a hug from the judge.
Reporters and ordinary folks with cameras continue to risk their lives documenting the police violence that meets protests against police violence. We have attracted the attention of the International Crisis Group and the UN high commissioner for human rights. It seems that no genuine protesters have heard of our sacred Second Amendment, or they would come packing, right? At least in the "open carry" and "stand your ground" states. Fortunately, they have not.
Professional football players received permission from Roger Goodell to exercise their First Amendment rights by kneeling during the national anthem. This elicited the predictable squeal of outrage from Trump, who is even mad at Drew Brees for criticizing and then reversing his criticism of the practice. More bad Trump news: Princess finally got invited to give a virtual commencement speech at Wichita State University (I know, not even U. of Kansas), but they decided that in view of Daddy's vast unpopularity right now, what with the pandemic, the police brutality and sundry other examples of gross incompetence, the students were in no mood for her banalities and would virtually walk out. Ivanka, who recently added Official Bible Bearer to her other duties, complained about "cancel culture" and the stifling of free speech on campuses. She also released her text, whose flavor can be enjoyed through one sentence: "...I have found that my greatest personal growth has arisen from times of discomfort and uncertainty." I was wondering where all that personal growth came from.
Trump's inauguration was sparsely attended, but he finally drew a significant crowd to Washington by deploying troops in its streets while cowering in a bunker. Mayor Muriel Bowser responded with style and imagination, painting BLACK LIVES MATTER in huge yellow letters two blocks long where he can't help seeing it and once again raising the long-simmering issue of statehood for the District of Columbia. Expect it to be introduced in the new Congress, perhaps in a Senate presided over by Vice President Bowser. Why not, Joe?
And now, some happy time -- from Atlanta, a line of protesters joins the Georgia National Guard in the Macarena.
posted by Buttermilk Sky at 2:59 PM
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