I was once told by my manager at my job that "...perception is reality..." For a little context, she believed I needed to cut down on the amount of time I spent on personal telephone calls at the office. When I said, "I am not on the phone that much, I mainly talk to my wife and it usually isn't for more than 2 to 3 minutes at a time since she is also at work...", she said, "well, that may be true, but the perception is that every time I walk into the area, you seem to be on the phone. Perhaps it's the timing of me walking into the area, but the perception is you are always on the phone." I couldn't argue the point because, even though I know the reality of the situation, her "perception" is completely different; and in the end, her perception is my reality. Since this conversation, I have kind of adopted the "Perception is Reality" as a pseudo-motto.
The StinkinGenius is currently following a situation down in his hometown of Houston, Texas. There is a young African-American male on trial for murder and is currently facing the possibility of serving up to 40 years in prison. This is a very real situation to say the least. If I were looking at 40 years of prison, I would want to ensure I received a fair trial and were afforded every opportunity to defend myself. Without getting into too many details and discussions over the specifics of this case, let's cut to the chase. What would you think if I told you that the prosecutors in this case used 7 of their 10 strikes on the first 7 African-American jurors on the panel without asking them a single question? Would you think it were a coincidence? Would you believe them when they said they did not realize there were no African-Americans on the jury panel? Fortunately for the defendant his legal counsel did not believe this was a coincidence. The defense attorneys objected and the presiding judge sustained their objection. When asked why the prospective jurors where struck, the prosecutors cited they were all indecisive. The "perception" in this case is a race issue, correct? I do not know the individuals and cannot say whether they are racist or not; however, it is not hard to come to that conclusion. Harris County District Attorney, Pat Lykos, also thought the perception was negative and reprimanded the two assistant district attorneys for negligence. Lykos is now under scrutiny for her actions when she only is trying to change the "perception" of misconduct and racism in the judicial system. I do not believe Lykos believes the prosecutors are racist; however, she wants to eliminate that perception.
That's all I have for right now. Until next time...Goodnight, and Godspeed!
About Me
- Stinkin Genius
- African-American male residing in an urban suburb of Los Angeles, CA because we get 300 days of great weather!
2 comments:
I, too, believe that perception is reality. I've done some research on this issue, and I recognize that each side is allotted 10 strikes they can use however they wish. It is especially egregious and tends to lead to the issue of racial partiality when you realize that the prosecutors in this case used 70% (7 out of 10) of their strikes to exclude 100%, or ALL, of the African-Americans. That does lead to the perception that race was a factor.
I, for one, believe that one of two things occurred: (1) the prosecutors are racist or (2) the prosecutors took a "win-at-all-costs" attitude, stereotyping the blacks as too liberal or too likely to not convict. The win-at-all-costs attitude may be especially true if the case was somehow weak to begin with; it would be more important to have jurors who would make a leap to get to the conclusion the prosecutor wanted, instead of a reasoned decision with affirmative links to the accused.
All in all, could it be that it was the perception of the prosecutors regarding the lack of evidence in their case that caused this situation?
To have a "win-at-all-costs" attitude with someone's life on the line is a heinous act that merits reprimand far worse than what was handed down by the Harris County DA. I would hope the prosecutors wouldn't gamble with someone's life just to pad their stats! I appreciate the comment and look forward to talking with you in future posts.
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