Teen on the run
In the Bay State Banner last month, Bobby Constantino wrote about a teen witness to a brutal Dorchester shooting who had to choose between not testifying and going to jail or testifying and being relocated out of state to protect him. Now the defendant in the case has been found innocent; Constantino writes the ripples extend far beyond a kid who essentially gave up everything he knew:
... Everyone that knows Thomas in the neighborhood, from peers to relatives and friends -- and we are talking over 100 people here -- has heard about what happened to him after he testified. They now know that if they testify in a case they will have to give up everything important to them here and move away.
As a result of this case, there are now at least one hundred people that will never ever step forward if they see a shooting or have information that could help the police. And given that there are hundreds of shooting cases just like this one year after year, the number of people that feel this way is growing.
When law-abiding residents that witness crimes must choose between coming forward and giving up life as they know it, it is an indication that we are failing as a society.
When law-abiding residents
When law-abiding residents that witness crimes must choose between coming forward and giving up life as they know it, it is an indication that we are failing as a society.
It's more of an indication that "we" are "failing" as a "society" when we play more to emotion than reason- and fail to recognize the importance of due process, including the right to face your accuser.
It's pretty sad that a former prosecutor (read: attorney) doesn't understand it, and furthermore, is reinforcing this kind of knee-jerk, emotional thinking amongst the public.
I think you missed the point
Nowhere did I see anyone making an argument against due process, or letting the accused not have their day in court. What is being discussed is the fact that someone should feel safe going to police and reporting a crime. And when the difference, about feeling safe, is determined by which neighborhood you live in, than it becomes a larger issue which "we" need to deal with.
Nature of the Beast
That is the nature of the beast. People loose their lives over this exact situation all the time. There is a certain code amoungst the streets that over powers and judicial system.
One of the core problems we
One of the core problems we have in Boston is that Boston is not giving people in these high-crime neighborhoods a fair shake.
People constantly subject to gunfire? People afraid to speak up, for fear of being killed? Why do we tolerate this kind of lawlessness *in Boston*?
Over the years, I've come to believe that too many of us are shirking our obligations to fellow Bostonians by thinking (consciously or unconsciously), "they're black, and that's how blacks live," "just keep them away from the decent people," or even "isolate them, and let them kill each other off."
This is a moral crisis for Boston, and mayor's office needs some radically different thinking.
Important post
This is an important post, thanks for picking up on it. These stories need to be heard.