Author: R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D
I am sure you all remember the symbol of justice in this country, a statue of a blindfolded lady holding a set of scales, sometimes called Lady Justice. Well, impartial justice no longer exists. The justice system from law enforcement, prosecutors, grand juries to judges is no longer made up of weighers of facts issuing objective opinions, but is full of ideological hacks.
We can no longer trust our judicial system.
The most glaring example, of which there are many, is the comparison of the George Floyd death and that of Ashli Babbitt who died on January 6, 2021 during the Capitol Hill protest. Criminal history: George Floyd had an extensive history of criminal activity and in fact, committed a robbery the very day he was being arrested. Ashli Babbitt had no known criminal history. Background: Unmarried, George Floyd was black, had a checkered past with no steady employment and multiple arrests and history of drug addiction: height above average at six feet six inches and weight approximately 250 lbs. Ashli Babbitt was married, white and a veteran of the Air Force who served honorably as a security airman achieving the rank of E-4. She had no known drug addictions. Average weight and height. Actions at time of incident: George Floyd was actively resisting arrest and refusing to comply with orders from the police. He was suspected of committing a robbery just previously. He showed clear symptoms of being high on drugs which was later confirmed by autopsy. Ashli Babbitt was standing outside a locked door at the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. with other protestors. She was not under the influence of drugs, did not pose a threat of violence to police and was not resisting arrest. Cause of Death: George Floyd after a considerable struggle resisting arrest was pinned to the ground by the knee of officer Derek Chauvin. No firearm was used. Ashli Babbitt was shot through the glass of the door by Capitol Police officer Michael Byrd as she attempted to climb through the broken door glass. She was unarmed and did not pose a direct threat of violence to the police officer who shot her.
Having reviewed all of the above facts, any reasonable person would conclude that the actions taken against George Floyd were clearly more reasonable than that taken against Ashli Babbitt. As we all know, that conclusion was not reached by our so-called justice system that gave a 21 year sentence to Derek Chauvin and totally exonerated Michael Byrd. This could never happen in a truly objective justice system. Did the race and politics of the individuals involved have anything to do with the outcome? It certainly appears so. Was it the policy of the Capitol Police Dept. to shoot unarmed civilians who are trespassing? How about the venue of where the incident occurred. One famous defense lawyer recently stated that you could “ indict a ham sandwich in Washington or New York City”!
Another glaring injustice is the way individuals who were present at the Capitol on January 6th have been treated as political prisoners. Many of them have been kept in solitary confinement over bogus trumped up charges. How about the FBI raiding the home of Donald Trump and not doing so to Joe Biden who had classified documents for years in several locations including his garage.
These incidents are not consistent with a free republic and an insult to our country. What to do? First, elect a conservative president who will clean house at the Department of Justice. Second, set review standards and practices that will hold corrupt prosecutors and judges accountable. This must be stopped.