Author: sterrnp

All criminals are evil and always deserve to be punished is an idea that many people are taught at a young age, but this idea is filled with bias. Naturally, everyone has biases, but there is always another side to all problems, people just need to listen. Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson is a tremendously, inspirational book about his experiences as a lawyer for people on death row. Many of the people he works with have been unfairly accused, mainly for the reason that they are all black. Bryan talks about many of the people he’s helped or attempted to help get off death row, but specifically the book talks about a man named Walter McMillian who has been falsely accused for a crime he didn’t commit. Although there are chapters that can be emotionally triggering, it is important to read in order to understand the Criminal Justice system and the reasons why it doesn’t work. Just Mercy teaches that justice is supposed to be used for creating a fair society, but instead it is used to silence the oppressed. Justice is used to silence the oppressed by using their weaknesses against them, forcing others through threats to provide fake evidence, and lie as long as all truth stays hidden.

Justice is used to silence the oppressed by using the weakness of others to hide the truth. Bryan Stevenson explains how Herbert–a felon Bryan is trying to get off of death row–was convicted only because he had been an easy target, and no one had the option to speak on his behalf. “The death penalty can be imposed fairly only after carefully considering all the reasons why death might not be the appropriate sentence, and that didn’t happen in Herbert’s case. I was increasingly becoming convinced that Herbert was facing execution because he had been an easy target. He was unaided and easily condemned by a system that was inattentive to the precise legal requirements of capital punishment” (Stevenson 79). Herbert committed a crime because he had had many traumatic experiences which resulted in Herbert suffering from a mental disability which led him to committing the crime. He did try to kill someone, but it doesn’t seem fair that he nor his family should suffer more trauma through his execution. He just needs help, and he can recover. Justice is used to silence the oppressed by abusing power to make choices about how the truth is shared.

Justice is used to silence the oppressed by threatening others to blame the oppressed. Bryan Stevenson talks to a man, named Ralph Myers about the truth behind Walters conviction–that Walter isn’t guilty; it’s all a lie. “He told us about being pressured by the sheriff and the ABI and threatened with the death penalty if he didn’t testify against Walter McMillian. He made accusations of official corruption, talked about his involvement in the Pittman murder, and revealed his earlier attempts to recant” (Stevenson 136). The sheriff and the ABI threatened Ralph with the death penalty, so in order to get out of it Ralph had to agree. Justice is used to silence the oppressed by making others fear for even their own lives just so the oppressed get blamed.

Justice is used to silence the oppressed by lying. Bryan Stevenson points out how the state only has one piece of evidence to support the claim that Walter is guilty. “The State had no physical evidence linking Mr. McMillian to this crime, the State had no motive, the State had no witness to the crime, the State had only the testimony of Ralph Myers” (Stevenson 168). There was no real evidence because Walter was never guilty. Justice is used to silence the oppressed by creating lies in order to maintain racial dominance.

Justice is used as an excuse to silence the oppressed by using the weaknesses of the oppressed to create lies, threatening others to put blame on the oppressed, and lie about evidence, even if the only evidence brought forth is the lie. Just Mercy teaches readers today that almost all ideas taught around what criminals are like and how they should be treated only show one way of thinking, but not truth. People should never make assumptions about someone for one action they made until considering the views of everyone affected by the act and the reasons they could’ve chosen to act that way.

Dear Anti-voter,

You have to vote. I know you have reasons for not wanting to vote, but I also know there are more beneficial reasons for why you should vote. Voting gives you a way to express your voice, and understand people who can’t vote wish they could.

Remember, you don’t just have to vote for the two candidates. You can write in a name. Yes! Magazine: 5 Reasons to Vote Even When You Hate Everything on the Ballot, “In 1992, Ross Perot won nearly 19 percent of the popular vote running as an independent candidate. That was nearly 20 million votes — plenty, but not enough to win an election”(2/5). Although Ross didn’t get elected, people were still satisfied that they got a chance to express their opinions. Also, their efforts weren’t in vain. The republicans observed that they lost the election because the votes for Ross had a significant effect on the votes for their candidate. The meaning behind why we have the democratic process is to allow all members of our community to express opinions on who controls our lives.

I’m not great at making decisions, and I understand where you’re coming from. However, I’ve learned that if you don’t make decisions there are always consequences. Other people will have to make decisions for you which usually ends poorly. Furthermore, your decisions help determine your future and the world’s future. One time, I went to protest for dolphins and orcas being killed for food in Japan because I am especially passionate about animals and their rights. When we got there, I started thinking that after many personal and educational experiences, compared to how many people protest about other injustices in our world, the amount of people who protest for animal rights is less. Animal rights are important, but my protesting won’t make a huge difference. Animals will still be abused and killed, so what’s the point? After some conversations, I quickly realized that of course it’s impossible for all animals to get their rights as soon as I want them to, but we can only take little steps at a time. If we all join together, meaning every person does their part we can and will achieve our goal. In society, everyone is expected to contribute because the people are the foundation of the community. Together, they determine what becomes of their society. Even the smallest contributions are important, and though slowly, they do effect change.

There are 3 rules required to be eligible to vote. They all are somewhat unfair, but I am despise the rule that you can’t be a felon. The New Jim Crow, written by Michelle Alexander states that, “Drake’s vote, along with the votes of millions of other people labeled felons, might have made a real difference in 2004. There is no doubt that votes would have changed things in 2000… ‘People aren’t even trying to get their vote back,’ she said. ‘It’s hard just getting them to attempt to register. They’re terrorized. They’re so scared of going back to jail that they won’t even try it.’ … ‘I have no right to vote on the school referendums that… will affect my children. I have no right to vote on how my taxes is going to be spent or used, which I have to pay whether I’m a felon or not, you know? So basically I’ve lost all voice or control over my government… I get mad because I can’t say anything because I don’t have a voice’ (160-161). It’s unfair, that just because people are felons they are stripped of their voting rights, sometimes for the rest of their lives. They already paid their debt in jail, so why should they have to do anything else to get their voting rights back? Voting is a benefit, so understand that there are many people who want to vote, but they can’t. By choosing not to vote, you are not respecting them.

The ability to vote is an extraordinary privilege, so take advantage of it. Don’t hold back! Contribute to society by speaking your voice, and I know it will make a difference!

Sincerely,
Sophie

Trump, the Holocaust, the Criminal Justice System, and so many more problems our world faces or has faced are all centered around one thing; bullying. It all has to do with power dynamics. 160,000 kids stay home from school everyday because of fear of bullying. A key step to finding the solution is figuring out why do people bully? Although there are many reasons, they usually center around jealousy, comparison, and/or they have suffered from abuse or neglect.

Throughout my 4th grade year, I was bullied. I pushed through, but I can’t deny that I felt alone. Even after telling my teacher and parents, nothing much was done. The teachers talked to the bully, and my parents gave me advice, but the bully still found her way around it. Some days, after recess I would climb up the stairs to class, and literally act like an angry cat, hissing and clawing at everything–I felt like a volcano exploding. People looked at me–probably confused about why I was being so weird–but I was just so angry! Every time I would find new friends to hang out with, she quote on quote stole them. They took her side because they were too scared to get on her bad side. She said to me, “how does it feel to not have any friends left?” Luckily, I found my hope. My mom had arranged for me to hang out with a girl whose parents my mom had known for a long time. I had known their family too, but I wasn’t as close with them. I soon found she and I had a ton in common, and we quickly became the best of friends. She taught me, to stay determined, for there is always hope.

My story has a happy ending, but this isn’t always the case. 64% of children who were bullied did not report it; this means only 36% reported the bullying. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year according to the CDC. Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims. A study in Britain found that at least half of suicides among young people are related to bullying. 10 to 14 year old girls may be at even higher risk for suicide. We need to take action because more than half of bullying situations, (57%), stop when a peer intervenes on behalf of the student being bullied.

In the words of Vashti Quiroz-Vega,
Don’t turn your face away.
Once you’ve seen, you can no longer act like you don’t know.
Open your eyes to the truth. It’s all around you.
Don’t deny what the eyes to your soul have revealed to you.

Now that you know, you cannot feign ignorance.
Now that you’re aware of the problem, you cannot pretend you don’t care.
To be concerned is to be human.
To act is to care.