When police can kill people of color with impunity, and not have to face trial for their probable crimes -- then something is definitely wrong with our Justice System.
When the victims of such police over-reactions, are forever denied their Day in Court -- then something is definitely wrong with our Justice System.
When a few 'bad apples' in our law enforcement system, never have to face the consequences that their abuses of power demand -- it kind of make the whole Justice System rotten to its core.
Worse yet there is no incentive for the other bad actors to correct their behavior, when in case after case, the bad apples just keep getting away with literally murder.
We used to have a Constitution that would protect people from such wide-spread miscarriages of Justice.
We used to have a system that said, Civilians are Innocent -- until proven Guilty. But apparently that Constitutional privilege is routinely revoked when a hot-headed cop is involved and the suspect has upset them somehow.
Exactly when did that the presumption of innocence -- transform itself into the unconstitutional rationalization that "the victim had it coming" ...?
You won't find that 'fine print' that in the Constitution. You won't find that 'fine print' that in the Supreme Court case law. On the contrary, we will find there the respect for the individual, the guarantee for Due Process, the need for Miranda Rights to be read, the guarantee of a lawyer if you cannot afford one, and the assurance that those 'accused of a crime' will have their Day in Court.
But it's damn hard to get that Due Process, when the suspect/victim is dead. And the local prosecutors care only for proving the 'innocence' of Police executioners. Not their guilt.
Someone needs to remind them. That were a nation of laws, based on well-defined Rights, no matter your race, creed, religion, or the shade of your skin. To deny us those Due Process Rights -- is a crime in itself; a foundational crime that needs to be prosecuted:
Fifth Amendment: Due Process
billofrightsinstitute.org
The government may not deprive citizens of “life, liberty, or property” without due process of law. This means that the government has to follow rules and established procedures in everything it does. It cannot, for example, skip parts of trials, or deny citizens their rights as protected by the Bill of Rights and by law. This protection helps to ensure justice.
[...]
This right to Due Process was so important we
were guaranteed it TWICE -- once at the Federal level, and once at the State level too.
Due process
law.cornell.edu
Introduction
The Constitution states only one command twice. The Fifth Amendment says to the federal government that no one shall be "deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law." The Fourteenth Amendment, ratified in 1868, uses the same eleven words, called the Due Process Clause, to describe a legal obligation of all states. These words have as their central promise an assurance that all levels of American government must operate within the law ("legality") and provide fair procedures. [...]
Equal Protection of the Laws.
If the courts stretched Fourteenth Amendment “due process” to apply the Bill of Rights to the states, they stretched Fifth Amendment “due process” to require the federal government to afford equal protection of the laws. The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment forbids the states from establishing segregated schools or otherwise discriminating invidiously against some of their citizens. [...]
Tell Eric Holder to make sure this
Constitutional Guarantee --
is actually guaranteed;
For EVERYONE in America -- not just the bad-actors in Blue.
-- Source: Deadly Force, in Black and White
A ProPublica analysis of killings by police shows outsize risk for young black males
by Ryan Gabrielson, Ryann Grochowski Jones and Eric Sagara, ProPublica -- Oct 10, 2014
Ensuring that this Constitutional Right to Due Process is there in reality for Everyone, and especially for people of color -- is long, long Overdue.