NYC black man given $18.5 million for wrongful conviction

[Thunder]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/nyregion/20award.html?src=mv&ref=nyregion

The NYPD had the evidence to free him. They simply could not be bothered, to locate it.

When I read horrible stories like this, it makes me very ashamed. Perhaps black folks are right, when they say the justice system is not on their side.

21 years in prison....for nothing.

:(

[oglommi]

A lot of this is class, not strictly color. If Kofi Annan was to shot someone and call it self defense people would tend to believe him. If some white junkie was to do the same people would be more likely to disbelieve him.

Hmmm I not really good at expressing my opinions in English but you get the picture.

[Thunder]

A lot of this is class, not strictly color.

True. OJ would not have gotten off if he did not have mad Benjamins in his wallet.

I guess this really is now more of a class issue than a race issue.

But 35+ years ago, it was indeed a race issue.

[NYCEMT86]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/nyregion/20award.html?src=mv&ref=nyregion

The NYPD had the evidence to free him. They simply could not be bothered, to locate it.

When I read horrible stories like this, it makes me very ashamed. Perhaps black folks are right, when they say the justice system is not on their side.

21 years in prison....for nothing.

:(

It isn't just black folks, it is everybody. Remember Marty Tankleff? The prosecutors were able to convict him on a false confession that was gotten by the investigators.

There are issues in the Justice System, whether intentional or unintentional, that have put quite a few innocent individuals in prison, no matter their race.

[Thunder]

It isn't just black folks, it is everybody. Remember Marty Tankleff? The prosecutors were able to convict him on a false confession that was gotten by the investigators.

There are issues in the Justice System, whether intentional or unintentional, that have put quite a few innocent individuals in prison, no matter their race.

it appears, that blacks seem to suffer from these injustices, disproportionately.

[a_unique_person]

They seem to get more prison in general.

[The Fallen Serpent]

Blacks are disproportionately in the lower classes, though racism still accounts for a number of legal issues. Without the culprit(s) expressing why a corruption of the system happened, it can be quite difficult to tell the specific reason a specific corruption happened. Racism, classism, laziness, poor training... When controlling for income there still appears to be a disproportionate rate of incarceration for the same crimes and false convictions among black Americans compared to white Americans. This points to racism remaining an issue in general but specific instances are still difficult to make a determination on.

[Mumbles]

A lot of this is class, not strictly color. If Kofi Annan was to shot someone and call it self defense people would tend to believe him. If some white junkie was to do the same people would be more likely to disbelieve him.

Hmmm I not really good at expressing my opinions in English but you get the picture.

Maybe. But in the US,race and class are intertwined. I expect that Kofi Annan would get less sway for shooting someone in the face than, say, Dick Cheney.

[The Central Scrutinizer]

The NYPD had the evidence to free him. They simply could not be bothered, to locate it.

Maybe a black person stole it?