Race continues to play an insidious role in deciding who is sentenced to death in North Carolina. Thirty-one of North Carolina’s death row inmates were tried by all white juries, even though minorities make up more than a quarter of the state’s population. Another 38 were tried by juries with only one minority member.
In 2012, four death row inmates proved that minorities were purposefully excluded from their juries. After listening to weeks of testimony and sorting through documents and statistics that spanned decades, Superior Court Judge Gregory Weeks said he found “a wealth of evidence showing the persistent, pervasive, and distorting role of race in jury selection throughout North Carolina.” Weeks resentenced the inmates to life in prison without parole under the N.C. Racial Justice Act.
Judge Weeks found that prosecutors struck qualified African-American jurors at double the rate they struck other potential jurors, both statewide and in Cumberland county, where the four defendants were tried. Qualified potential black jurors were removed from juries for such reasons as membership in the NAACP or attending a historically black university. They were also struck for irrational reasons such as past Army service or answering questions with “yeah.” Whites with similar characteristics were allowed to serve.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BU3WN1YSs0
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Has Trump unintentionally stepped into another point of contention with the American people concerning bias in the justice system? Probably not. Here is an interesting article from the Wall Street Journal in 2012:
Federal Guilty Pleas Soar As Bargains Trump Trials
In mid June, under a deal with federal prosecutors, Kenneth Kassab was on the verge of pleading guilty to illegally transporting thousands of pounds of explosives when he changed his mind. A week later, he was acquitted by a federal jury.
Though Mr. Kassab maintained his innocence, he said in an interview that he had been prepared to plead guilty to avoid the risk of possibly decades in prison. His choice to face a jury came at the last minute, prompted by a judge’s procedural misstep and what the 53-year-old laborer described as a decision not to tell a lie before God.
Here are some other examples of the American justice/legislative system:
- Fast & Furious
- IRS targeting patriot groups
- Waco massacre
- Ruby Ridge
- Malheur/LaVoy Finicum murder
- US v. Miller
- Executive orders
- Bureau of Land Management
- EPA overreach
- Dodd-Frank Act
Let me leave you with these words of wisdom:
The Nine Most Terrifying Words
Tyranny comes in many forms at all levels. Be vigilant and prepared.
David DeGerolamo
