Sunday, April 08, 2012

GuardianUK: "The Trayvon Martin case reveals a vigilante spirit in the US justice system"

"Trayvon Martin's father, Tracy Martin, attends a rally in his son's honour in Florida last week." Photograph: Angel Valentin/Getty Images

David A Love (GuardianUK):
Prosecutorial misconduct, foot-dragging and corruption by local police, and toxic "stand your ground" laws are part of an epidemic of a vigilante spirit within the US justice system. Whether a lynch mob acts from within or without the courts, the outcome is equally disturbing. And when individuals are allowed to take matters into their own hands – determining the outcome of their own choosing in a case, unaccountable and with impunity – that vigilante spirit, in turn, betrays the justice system's association with lynching. US courts became window dressing for a racist mob mentality, and the death penalty a "legal replacement" for the lynchings of a bygone era. MORE...

No comments: