tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617426134849640048.post1234545035761724903..comments2023-11-03T07:36:08.643-04:00Comments on The View From Here: from the belly of the beastUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617426134849640048.post-27969468486875123772008-01-17T20:01:00.000-05:002008-01-17T20:01:00.000-05:00The sad fact is that we don't all get what we dese...The sad fact is that we don't all get what we deserve. But it's difficult for me to feel much in the way of sympathy for those who are incarcerated and actually guilty of the crime(s) for which they've been charged. <BR/><BR/>Even people with no money can obey the law, you know.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617426134849640048.post-63822984934145235812008-01-17T14:10:00.000-05:002008-01-17T14:10:00.000-05:00the state (i.e. the district attorney/prosecutor) ...the state (i.e. the district attorney/prosecutor) is thinking about the victims. they represent the victims' interests and protect our collective right to be free from crime. the victims are very well taken care of, as they should be.<BR/><BR/>the 6th amendment guarantees us the right to counsel in fed criminal prosecutions (extended to the states by the 14th amendment). that's the constitutional right at stake here, whether an individual is guilty or not. "they" deserve competent legal counsel to go up against the powerful & historically racist criminal justice system. if you were a poor black man who maybe even had indeed done what they accused you of doing, wouldn't you want someone to represent you against such a system, for example to advise you against taking a plea grossly disproportionate to the crime charged? or maybe only folks with money deserve that much.mint julephttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13349981957329018092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617426134849640048.post-74941666699355967882008-01-17T13:50:00.000-05:002008-01-17T13:50:00.000-05:00What's the alternative? I concede that what you've...What's the alternative? I concede that what you've described is less than ideal, but to the extent that the people who find themselves in this position are guilty of a crime, what do they deserve? <BR/><BR/>I hate to sound callous but most crimes have victims. Who is thinking about them?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617426134849640048.post-63244221320990568512008-01-17T13:45:00.000-05:002008-01-17T13:45:00.000-05:00@amaretto, courts can differ on when the right to ...@amaretto, courts can differ on when the right to counsel attaches and at this stage, people may not have been arraigned (formally charged), sometimes there is only an accusation so there is some wiggle room. it's been progress just getting counsel at these bail hearings.<BR/><BR/>@bellini, yes having been down there a couple times since the storm (this last time for an interview) i could see how your brother would be affected. we need more young black males (and females) willing to pass up the dollars and commit themselves to the work.mint julephttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13349981957329018092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617426134849640048.post-12775328865980596912008-01-17T11:33:00.000-05:002008-01-17T11:33:00.000-05:00Katrina exposed everything that is wrong with this...Katrina exposed everything that is wrong with this country: white folks and black folks<BR/><BR/>sidenote: my brother has been living down there since undergrad and he's going to law school and i can't help but wonder how the Big' Easy has influcenced his judgments about poverty and blacknessBellinihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07059515033669847759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-617426134849640048.post-8124868691809571042008-01-17T09:10:00.000-05:002008-01-17T09:10:00.000-05:00Waaaait! Is this for real?! How can this even be l...Waaaait! Is this for real?! How can this even be legal? I'm not the lawyer you are but doesn't everyone have the right to defend themselves? <BR/><BR/>This made me think of a book my uncle was telling me about, I can't recall the title, but the premise was the majority (government) was wondering what they were going to do with a large group of people who were no longer of any use (ie the end of slavery). The majority recognized that the group could be powerful if united and they were going to do anything to keep that from happening. <BR/><BR/>It just seems that the "That Be's" will try to get away with anything if they can, especially towards the po and struggling; they are the ones always left in the aftermath wondering what the heck "just" happened, even if the injustice has been going on for decades.Amarettohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13102198081380362303noreply@blogger.com