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Is it Wise or Foolish to “wake up to the reality” that Constitutional Rights to Jury Trials for gang shootings favors gang criminals rather than victims and witnesses?
n the previous post, I stated I will explore the definitions of ‘street smarts’ wisdom, vs. righteousness or wicked, vs. laws and lawyers, and the reality of why the City of Chicago actually benefits in one way from only having a 17 percent rate of solving gang crimes.
The purpose of this post is to question if our present Rights and Remedies’ are wise or foolish in our contemporary times to address gang killings in the USA.
For example, consider these questions,
- How much did it cost, and why did it take five years for the recent Hadiya Pendleton trial?
- When a person vows their loyalty to a criminal gang, does he or she in effect disavow their loyalty to the laws of his nation?
- Should Congress amend the Rights to Jury Trials in civil cases to accommodate the present realities of thousands of shootings in Chicago and other cities?
King Solomon
When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong. (Ecclesiastes 8:11)
Excerpt
therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil; or their “heart is full to do evil” (n); they have not only a fulness of sin in them naturally as is in every man’s heart; but they are filled with resolution, boldness, and courage, to commit sin, promising themselves impurity from the seeming delay of justice; such an abuse do they make of the patience and forbearance of God; they become more and more hardened in sin and bent upon the commission of it.
It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. (Ecclesiastes 5:5)
Excerpt
Better is it that thou shouldest not vow,…. For a vow is an arbitrary thing; a man is not bound to make it, and while he vows not, it is in his own power, and at his option, whether he will do this or that, or not; but when he has once vowed, he is then brought under an obligation, and must perform;
What’s My Point?
When someone joins a gang and is ordered, or chooses to kill someone because of a gang vow or loyalty, is he disavowing his loyalty to his Nation’s laws?
The Constitution was intended to provide justice to individuals instead of gangs numbering in the thousands with similar powers of armies.
In My Opinion
It is time for all of us to “wake up to the reality” that over time the population of our nation has grown from a small Christian God-fearing communities and populations to 326 million secular governing urban towns and cities.
Reality is that large populations in segregated areas by nationalities, education, and wealthy communities are resulting in large numbers of gang members and crime. Taxpayer costs to afford or administer the Rights envisioned by our Founders Dreams of Freedom and Justice are significant.
For example,
in Chicago, a city in heavy debt, the cost of the trial to convict the murder of Hadiya alone is estimated to be seven hundred thousand dollars. Add the jail costs after sentencing for the two convicted gang members and it runs into millions of dollars.
Consider the reality that thousands of shootings are taking place in Chicago as well as other cities yearly. A City located in a State which presently is over 124 billion dollars in debt.
If the present rate of only 17 percent of crimes are solved was 100 percent, would it be possible to administer and pay the added costs and time to administer the additional jury trials. This one trial took five years, and 10,000 manhours to conduct one murder trial for a gang killing. Add the resultant jail time will run into millions of dollars.
All dollars better spent to educate and invest in the communities..
Lawyers Reality and Morals
Defense lawyers have the option to refuse to represent a person they believe to be guilty. However, the reality of accepting a case and being compensated $250 an hour paid by taxpayers, for the most part, provides monetary incentives for both prosecuting and defense attorneys to delay court decisions. For example, it took five years to administer the Hadiya Pendleton case.
Witnesses “Street Smarts”
When a gang member is arrested, then immediately released on bail until a jury trial, he poses a threat to a witness ”street smarts” is understanding the reality that the police cannot protect them from gang retribution of their lives or their loved ones.
What motivated the witnesses in Hayida Pendleton witnesses to come forward? Perhaps the national attention because of Michele Obama attending her funeral helped prevent gang retribution and the witness personal association and love motivated the brave witnesses?
In My Next Post
I will present what I believe is both necessary and Constitutional to help remedy justice for gang killings, A based on a previous Supreme Court Decision.
If Interested
Read the Source links Below
Regards and good will blogging.
Source Links
Cost of Hadiya Trial
Lawyer’s Choices
Ecclesiastes Excerpts
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