Vigilante injustice is alive and “well” in these here United States
A prisoner killed in a Maryland county jail on Sunday was a victim of “vigilante justice,” Prince George’s County Chief Executive Jack Johnson said.
Ronnie White, 19, was in custody in connection with the death of a police officer.
Ronnie White, 19, died of strangulation and asphyxiation and had two broken bones in his neck, an autopsy showed.
An attorney for White’s family said that because White was being held in solitary confinement at the Prince George’s County Correctional Center, a corrections officer would have had to let whoever killed the prisoner into his cell. Link to rest of the article
This is a man who hadn’t seen his day in court nor had a chance to address the charges against him and some assholes decided to take it upon themselves to execute a summary judgment on him. Hell, even the worst dictators in the world have a greater sense of right and wrong than this. But what can “we” do about it?
To start with we can demand justice. Someone must hang for this. It is as simple as that. Probably multiple people if the truth were known. I don’t mean legally hang I mean literally hang. Like they did to people in the old days. You know, wild west style. Except they’ll get a fair trial before they hang.
Or am I wrong?
Hah, I see what you did there! I just watched that movie yesterday called “In The Name Of The Father” where a son and father were thrown in jail but innocent. 15 years later they were released but the father died before he could be exonerated. The cops who lied were never taught a lesson either.
Some things God waits and handles personally.
What can we do about this? We can get rid of all the liberal judges who keep releasing repeat offender scum into our neighborhoods.
Hang? Literally? You’re kidding aren’t you? White wouldn’t have hung. They would have released him within 2-3 months (max), then he would have been selling his drugs and victimizing others in some way, shape or form. These patterns continue: 1. Arrest 2. Court 3. Judge says, “OK, if you promise to be a good boy, I’ll suspend your sentence. 4. Boy says, “Hey, you’re a pretty understanding guy. Besides, I had a terrible childhood that haunts me to this day.” 5. Boy goes home and commits more crimes. 6. Boy goes back to court. 7. Judge says, “Hey, don’t I know you?” 8. Boy says, “I don’t think so.” 9. Judge says, “Yeah, you’re probably right. Besides, it’s time for a recess. I didn’t have any breakfast and I’m hungry. Not guilty!” 10. Boy laughs and continues to victimize innocent citizens.
Yeah, I see your point…
OK, let’s be honest here. I would venture to say that the majority of us (a good 7 out of 10) are thinking that he got what he deserved. Also, we talk about inhumane justice in Third World countries, which is probably better termed as “swift justice.” Even the bible says an eye for an eye. I don’t remember reading anything about a court system. That’s something that our ancestors dreamed up along the way; man made. Maybe we’ve just turned into a bunch of pansies. If we were to send a swift message, I bet crime would essentially be nonexistent. It would also save us a boat load of tax payer monies. I’m all for change.
What the last 3 commentators seem to be missing is that this guy had not been convicted of anything. He hadn’t gone before a judge, hadn’t had a chance to speak with defense counsel, nothing. He had been charged and that was it.
I don’t know what country any of you folks are from but charged is a FAR FAR FAR cry different than being convicted.
Our society hasn’t operated under a system of vigilante law for a long, long time. And there’s a reason for that.
But I’ll address a few of your opinions one by one.
Jim – What does repeat offense have to do with someone walking in and murdering another human? Did he kill a cop? Maybe he did, but until a jury of his peers determines that who the hell has the right to execute the kid?
Carl – He was in on 1st degree murder charges. If he was convicted he wouldn’t have been released in 2-3 months. You apparently have your heart set that he was guilty so why bother with a trial?
I agree our system of justice is terrible, but that doesn’t mean we should make it even worse by encouraging or turning a blind eye to something like this.
Phillip – Sure, we’d all love to do what was done to this kid to criminals. Convicted criminals who had been proven guilty in a court of law. That’s the difference. And I know I keep repeating myself, but it bears repeating. He hadn’t been convicted of killing that cop.
But let’s talk about your “swift message” approach… Where does it end? You rear end me and I jump out and shoot you in the face. How’s that for a swift message? Or how about you walk out of Wal-Mart and those stupid alarms that go off every time you go near them start buzzing. So the security guard whips out a gun and shoots you dead on the spot. Never mind that he never bothered to check your bags. He just wanted to send a “swift message” of justice.
And Phillip please don’t reference the Bible unless you are going to do so in the context it was meant for.
“An eye for an eye” does not mean “a life for a life” or “an injury for an injury”. It means monetary compensation to be determined by the value of the physical damage. Here’s a link talking about basic Torah info. Scroll down about 3/4 of the page or search for “an eye for an eye”
I understand the kid had a lengthy rap sheet (some 9 pages). He had some violent felony charges as an adult. I do see Phillip’s point about repeat offenders committing most of the crime. There was a lady up in New England who was recently murdered by a paroled sex offender. He had only been out for about 2 months before he committed another offense. The poor lady was going to a friend’s house for Sunday coffee. The guys therapist said that he “had been doing so well.” It’s sickening. Maybe we should all get a little more fed up.
Dan – Oh I agree. I just don’t agree that you walk in and break a guys neck BEFORE he ever has a chance to stand trial to face the charges. That’s something the Nazi’s would do.
If Ronnie White were in another country, it’s a possibility that he would have died the same way that he had killed Officer Findley. That’s how some country prison’s work. Whatever you did, that cause the death of another, you would die the same way, so that you could feel what that person felt before they died. The jails here in the USA wouldn’t be as crowded as they are, if the system used this type of policy on criminals. One or two examples of what would happen to you if you committed a felony, would cause you to never do a felony again. Officer Findley was a very outstanding individual. He looked after the community he resided in. He helped others when they had no where else to turn. He worked hard for both organizations he was employed with. He had a beautiful family, and the children will suffer for a long time because their father is now gone. You just don’t see a person in the street and run over them, knowing you could have killed them. Mr. White was a bad seed, and the judicial system caused him, in a big way, to continue to be a bad seed. You just don’t have a lot of arrest charges, at such a young age, and still commit crimes. Someone didn’t teach him a lesson while he was locked up in the past. This is something that should be looked into. Mr. White was not properly loved or bonded with the good ways of life. He should have been ordered therapy, so he could talk with someone about his problems. He was a walking/talking time bomb. I know his family miss him, but he will never be forgiven by the family that had the love and support of the husband and father, Officer Richard Findley.
To all parents out there, if you love and care for your children, please monitor them the best you can. You are somewhat responsible for the crime they may commit.