#5: Relevance/Final Thoughts: Chapter 13-Chapter 16

 Just Mercy

Welcome back readers! I've finally finished reading the book and I loved it. Unfortunately this means this is my last blog post. I wanted to touch on the relevance of this book and similar issues that are going on in present times. Then, I wanted to commence my final thoughts on the book and issues and questions it has raised. 

In chapter fourteen, there was one sentence that could relate to a whole lot of crimes committed today. The line was, "they didn't have to kill him"(267). It was talking about Stevenson's grandparents, where his grandfather was murdered at eighty-six years old over a black and white tv robbery. He described this as a senseless murder. This made me think of the recent event of George Floyd. He was held down, knee on his neck in a cruel and unusual arrest. He was killed. This also senseless murder sparked outrage around the United States. It was indeed a senseless murder. Floyd attempted to ask the officer on top of me to get off because he was unable to breathe; however, the officer stayed put. The New York Times states in an article, "video shows officers taking a series of actions that violated the policies of the Minneapolis Police Department and turned fatal, leaving Mr. Floyd unable to breathe, even as he and onlookers called out for help(Hill)." A tragic death that left people saying, they didn't have to kill him. An act of unnecessary aggression, just like in Stevenson's grandfathers murder. Stevenson talks about many more cases he had, where you can find similar or the same things happening in present times.  

George Floyd

The next thing I wanted to do was discuss the book as a whole and give my final thoughts on it. Throughout the book, many past and present issues were pressed on. The most talked about issues were racial problems in the justice system, children being tried as adults, and mentally ill people being condemned to die. Reading this book made me question, how many more people have been falsely imprisoned due to their racial background? Actually, it made me question a lot more than one thing. My viewpoints on certain subjects were swayed. I supported the death penalty fully before reading this book. Now, after reading about people who were on death row and some innocent people whom were killed on it, really made me rethink some things. I'm not going to lie, I still do support the death penalty; however, if the person is mentally ill or doesn't have a fair trial then it's wrong. I know, that's uncontrollable about who chooses their fate but I can't not support the death penalty when it deserves to be given. The book honestly got me conflicted with my own thoughts, which honestly amazes me. To have one singular book have me have to re-think something I've believed in my whole life, it just proves to be an amazing story. 

This book also had me questioning the morality of people. While reading Walter's case, I just couldn't understand how the people in the police force, especially officer Tate, could just stand back and watch an innocent mans life be taken from it. I know he was able to be saved, but what about all the others they put away over a made up story. Not everyone can be saved and Stevenson made that clear as he talked of a few clients he had who actually had been executed. McMillian was discriminated against. How many others were there? Who held the same fate, yet nobody was able to save them in time? It makes me mad thinking about how the justice system gets away with all of it. Stevenson said officer Tate stayed for over 25 years in the same position even after falsely accusing McMillian and almost killing him. He knew from the beginning that McMillian was innocent. It's just disgusting. Like I said in my very first blog post, the judicial system will find one person and do everything they can to prove them guilty. Seeing as from when I first watched the Ted Bundy documentary, where I was hesitant to believe that's true, to the point where the same thing happened in the McMillian case. I thought Bundy was just saying that to try and crawl his way out; but, now I see that wasn't the case. What else is being hidden from the public eye? Who's going to bring it into light? 

So, there we have it, my final blog post. The book was so insightful, while being intriguing and fun to read at the same time. The only thing I wish Stevenson put in there was if the real murderer for the McMillian case was caught. But overall, I would recommend this book to everyone. It can teach you and make you question things you thought you knew, and that's what makes a good book. Farwell readers!!

Works Cited

"George Floyd: What Happened in the Final Moments of His Life." BCC News, 16 July 2020, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52861726. Accessed 1 Apr. 2021.

Hill, Evan. "How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody." New York Times, 18 Mar. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/us/george-floyd-investigation.html. Accessed 1 Apr. 2021.

Stevenson, Bryan. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. New York, Spiegel & Grau, 2014.

#4 Reflection: Chapter 10-Chapter 12

 Just Mercy

Welcome back readers! For my blog today I decided to do kind of a reflection on chapter eleven. I did read three chapters; however, I'm going to be focusing this post on the Walter McMillian case. I'm so excited to share my thoughts with you about what occurred during that chapter. 

I briefly wanted to touch on a specific event I found quite interesting in chapter ten. Basically this chapter talks about mental illnesses and how they are rarely taken into account during a trial. Stevenson goes in on one case he had with a man, Avery, and how suffered complications mentally after an accident that was untreated. He took a bus and got into a fight with a police officer where the gun went off through the officer's stomach, killing him. He was charged with capital murder. But, I wanted to talk about Stevenson's interactions with a guard at the prison where Avery was being held. The first interaction Stevenson had with him he was aggressive and rude to him; forcing him to do a strip search. Stevenson comments on the experience, "the officer came in and gave me an unnecessarily aggressive search before mumbling I was clear(195)." When reading about this, I was shocked that an attorney was treated in such ways. When there was no rhyme or reason to act in such ways, yet people still chose to. 

Stevenson ended up getting Avery the help he needed. He was sent to a mental institution where he could get the help he needed rather then being stuck in prison. When Stevenson went back to talk to Avery the same guard was there again. This time, he was kind and pleasant. I was just as surprised as Stevenson when exclaimed the second encounter. They had a heartfelt conversation where the guard talked about his childhood life where it was similar to Avery's, moving around in foster care with un-fit caretakers. He happened to be listening in court when Stevenson was fighting Avery's case. This really got me thinking. Everybody has a past, and some let it define them, while others grow from it. I think it took the guard some time but when he realized he wasn't the only one with a troubled past, he was able to break free as well. It warmed my heart to hear the guard say, "I took him to a Wendy's, and I bought him a chocolate milkshake(202)." It just proved that people really can have a change of heart. This guard changed in a matter of days. I just didn't think it really could be possible. I wish Stevenson mentioned his name because I would've put a picture for you guys to see. This small story within a story changed my perspective on some things and that's why I wanted to mention it. 

Precious Milkshake<3

Now I wanted to talk about the exciting breakthrough in the following chapter of the ongoing McMillian case. I'm going to start off with this because it was thrilling to read. Walter McMillian was freed from death row in chapter eleven. He was proven innocent. A great day, really. When I first looked at the title of the chapter I wondered what it could mean.. but now, I understand. The title of the chapter is I'll Fly Away and the ending words of the chapter are from McMillian exclaiming, "I feel like a bird, I feel like a bird(226)." After six years of being wrongly convicted, he was finally free and what could be more free than a bird? Reading throughout the chapter, I could feel it coming, the anticipation of finally hearing he was going to be freed was almost to much to bear. After the previous trial with the evidence, people from the state started to doubt if McMillian was guilty. So they set up another investigation and the two men working the case, flat out stated he could not have been involved. They also started getting towards who could be the actual killer which was exciting to read. Once they got their case together it took a few more months and then McMillan had another date for a re-trial. The state sided with Stevenson and the judge immediately ruled him free. Reading about him finally gaining his freedom was exhilarating after following the case of misfortune and racism. It did make me wonder what Stevenson was going to write about for the rest of the McMillian chapters because there's still a few chapters of the book left. I was thinking it could be talking about him transitioning back into normal life after the case or maybe following the same case and figuring out who the real killer is. What do you guys think? 

To be honest, I've gotten way more invested in this book than I ever thought would happen with a non-fiction piece. It's made me think so much more about race, the justice system, and even more personal stories with things like how I look at people or other people look at others. I cannot wait to finish the book and update you guys on how it ends!

Works Cited

Stevenson, Bryan. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. New York, Spiegel & Grau, 2014.

Wendy's. www.wendysja.com/?ix=76003. Accessed 25 Mar. 2021.

#3 Argument: Chapter 7-Chapter 9

Just Mercy

Welcome back readers! Today I wanted to focus my attention more on the argumentative side of Just Mercy. What is Stevenson actually arguing about throughout the entirety of his book. I chose to do this one today because he gave many examples I'll be able to explain in the chapters I just read. 

The purpose of this book could be to just go through cases he's been through, it could just be writing about his most interesting cases, or, it could be arguing the rights of different races, showing the flaws in the justice system, proving that cases like his can still happen today. This book is more than just a story, it has a deeper meaning. Stevenson wants to show people the racism within the justice system. At one point in chapter eight, he slides in the comment, "no African Americans were allowed inside the courthouse(158)." He makes a point to mention this because the trial was for a young African American boy where he was surrounded by fifteen hundred white people. Why didn't they allow any African Americans in the courtroom though? It seems very wrong and even suspicious to do such a thing. I think this is one of the arguments Stevenson is making against the racist justice system. 

In another instance a page earlier on in chapter eight, Stevenson comes in with another example. He wrote, "in an earlier era, if you were thirteen or fourteen when you committed a crime, you would find yourself in the adult system with a lengthy sentence only if the crime was unusually high profile-- or committed by a black child against a white person in the South(157)." In this sentence, he adds on committed by a black person. He makes sure people know that it's not the same for black people. That's why it's another example of him proving that the justice system is racist. Taking the difference of a white child committing a crime and a black child committing a crime against a white person. He goes on to give an example, when two boys were thirteen and fourteen, they got wrongly convicted of rape and were sentenced to death. He doesn't say it directly; however, the paragraph foreshadows the truth, that it would've been a different sentence if it had of been two white boys. This is what he's arguing throughout the whole book. Stevenson doesn't just show but proves there's racism in our justice system. 

I also want to talk about four people Stevenson talked about. Trina, Ian, Antonio, and George. Trina accidently started a fire, killing two boys. The mother of the boys insisted it wasn't an accident. She was fourteen at the time and got condemned to life in prison. Her background in mental health and family life wasn't so good either. This case was disgusting because she didn't mean to do it and she was so young, only to die in prison. Even the judge was saddened by this case. She was later raped by a guard in prison and had son. I think it's terrible that they wouldn't even allow her to see her son. 

She was not white. 

Trina Garnett

The second child he mentioned was Ian. He shot a women through the jaw in an armed robbery. He was thirteen years old at the time and didn't work alone. Normally it's fifteen years in prison; however, the lawyer missed two things that got him life with no parole. He was sent into solitary confinement because he was so young and small. That was terrible on his mental health. When reading this, I felt so bad for this boy. He felt bad as well, and called the women he shot. He apologized and she actually ended up attempting to get him a reduced sentence. I think this is one of the most heart-warming stories I've read yet. 

He was not white.

Ian Manuel

The next boy was named Antonio Nunez who was associated with gang violence. He shot at some cops in a fake kidnaping. He wanted to be a police officer when he grew up. At fourteen years old he was sentenced to life when nobody was injured. This is normally not allowed until they are at least sixteen but that was for murder and this was for kidnaping so they did it anyway. I didn't like reading this story just due to the fact it made me so frustrated that the justice system could basically do whatever they wanted. 

He was not white.

Antonio Nunez

The last kid he talked about was George Stinney. Reading this story made me wanna cry. This poor boy got accused of murdering two girls who went to pick flowers. The only reason he was an option was because he was the last person to see them. They asked him to pick flowers. He was sentenced to death. After his death a older man confessed on his death bed. This story was so sad. He was only fourteen and he didn't even do it. He was wrongly executed and I feel like more stories like this should come out. 

He was not white. 

George Stinney

I wanted to make sure to talk about each of those cases and give my thoughts on them. They really impacted how I saw the justice system. I want it to do the same to you. 

Thank you for reading my blog, I know this one was a bit longer!

Works Cited

"Antonio Nuñez." Equal Justice Initiative, eji.org/cases/antonio-nunez/. Accessed 18 Mar. 2021.

"Court Acknowledges Wrongful Execution of 14-Year Old George Stinney." Equal Justice Initiative, 19 Dec. 2014, eji.org/news/george-stinney-exonerated/. Accessed 18 Mar. 2021.

"Ian Manuel." Equal Justice Initiative, eji.org/cases/ian-manuel/. Accessed 18 Mar. 2021.

Stevenson, Bryan. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. New York, Spiegel & Grau, 2014.

"Trina Garnett." Equal Justice Initiative, eji.org/cases/trina-garnett/. Accessed 18 Mar. 2021.

 

#2: Rhetorical Analysis: Chapter 4-Chapter 6

 Just Mercy

Welcome back readers! I've read further into Just Mercy and I can't say I'm disappointed. This book continues to amaze me. I never thought I could get so dragged into a non-fiction book; yet, I have. I'm through chapter six right now and so much is going on. Stevenson wants to help each person he mentions. Multiple people contacted him in hopes of receiving his help for people of all ages. As I read on, he mentioned multiple cases of children under the age of eighteen being put on death row after the judge decided to count the murder as a capital case instead of a juvenile case. 

Bryan Stevenson

Besides the intriguing stories, what's even more interesting is the style of order in which he puts the chapters in. As I left off in chapter three, it was covering the case of Walter McMillian soon. Once I started reading chapter four, it changed dramatically. After pronouncing McMillian guilty by the end of chapter three, it left off as sort of a cliff hanger. It was obvious that the story of McMillian would be continued and it did; however, it wasn't until chapter five where they started talking about his case again. He organizes the chapters in a way where he keeps you thinking and keeps you interested in what's to come. In chapter four it talks about a case unrelated to McMillians about a man for whom was executed because "the trial judge found he had "mental retardation"(71)." Only after many years was this type of execution banned, all too late for many lost souls. Another man he talked about in chapter four was Herbert Richardson, a man who accidently killed a infant with a bomb that was meant to kill no one. He was a Vietnam War veteran and came back traumatized. Stevenson was there when he was electrified and exclaimed it as one of the hardest things he's ever experienced. The chapter ended with Herbert's execution, then, in chapter five, he transferred back over to the case of McMillian. I like the style for how he writes his chapters but it also annoys me to some extent. It can be hard at times to follow along without getting lost in each case he takes on. 

In the last chapter I read, chapter six, transferred over again from the McMillian case to a case about a fourteen year old boy who was sent to an adult prison for the murder of his mother's abusive boyfriend. So far, this has to be the case that I got super invested in. Not to say the other cases didn't get me interested because they did; but, this one was different. I think it was different from the others because it went to the actual point of view of the fourteen year old boy. He killed his mother's boyfriend because one night he came home drunk and punched his mom in the face. His mother fell to the floor in a pool of blood and the young boy shot his mother's boyfriend in the head because he thought he had killed his mom. I felt more personally connected to the case because of the amount of detail that was given. His mother's boyfriend was a officer so that made matters worse for the little boy because his co-workers wanted the worse punishment for the boy. They did get him put into a normal prison for people over eighteen. However, he was sexually abused during his three day time there. Thankfully by the end of the chapter, he got moved to to a juvenile detention center until he turned eighteen. This just made me think of how unfair the system is. This young boy who was a great student and never got in trouble made the mistake of letting his built up rage take over. Charlie was the little boys name. He was about to be put on death row, as such a young helpless child. I was amazed by the things people would do to someone so young. Not only has this book shown that the judicial system is corrupt for putting innocent people, such as Walter McMillian on death row; but, putting children, like Charlie, on it as young as fourteen. I'm excited to keep reading and expand my knowledge of more cases and flaws among the system. 

Works Cited

McCauley, Mary. "Lawyer and activist Bryan Stevenson calls for markers to be erected at lynching sites." The Baltimore Sun, 25 Feb. 2015, www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/arts/bs-ae-author-stevenson-20150225-story.html. Accessed 10 Mar. 2021.

Stevenson, Bryan. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. New York, Spiegel & Grau, 2014.

#1: Introduction-Chapter 3

Just Mercy

This is my very first blog post. I'm currently reading the book Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson and I'm going to be blogging about my thoughts about it. From what I've read, this book will take you through "a story of justice and redemption," engaging you as if you were really in these convicts shoes. Its grasps onto the racism in the justice department and sheds a light on the real world previous misconvictions of people from different races. 

Going into this, and researching a bit more about the book before I actually started reading it, I started to doubt that I'd even like it. As of right now I've read through chapter three and I really misjudged it. I became quickly captivated and wanted to read more. Even in the introduction with just the background knowledge of Bryan Stevenson was interesting to read. Just reading the short amount I did reminded me of how much I love to read. 

In the introduction we get introduced to Bryan Stevenson, the author who documented what he went through. He studied philosophy in college and went on to Harvard Law School after graduation. He described how he wasn't so sure about law school and the intimidation he felt being there. While reading this I was surprised that he made it into Harvard Law, one of the most prestigious law schools, but didn't really know if he wanted to be there at all. However, as it went on he discovered who wanted to represent and try to help. 

Walter McMillian

In Stevenson's late twenties, he met Walter McMillian in Alabama, where "nearly 100 a hundred people were on death row(21)." He was put on death row for a false claim made against him. While Stevenson wrote of the events leading up to death row, he kept it intriguing with the way he flat out stated his mind. He told the truth and directly pointed out the racial flaws put against McMillian. As he was moved from place to place racial slurs were used against McMillian and the hostility towards him was extraordinary. Some of the cops may not have known him and just saw him like everyone else on death row, a murderer; yet, the police that had known the case, such as officer Tate, were still horribly cruel when he knew there was no real evidence for his arrest. I found it astonishing that officer Tate was putting in all the effort into finding any evidence that McMillian was guilty rather than putting his time into finding the true murderer. This reminds me of when I watched the documentary about Ted Bundy's case. When he was in trial, he kept saying how the judicial system will find one person and do everything they can to prove them guilty. Obviously in that case he did end being the serial killer; however, the point was he could have been right. It brought be back to this where maybe some of those a hundred people on death row where just chosen and what Stevenson is trying to say it that it was because of McMillians race that he was one of them. I was astonished when he was put into prison when he had an alibi and then Myer's admitted to lying and making up the whole story against him. This where you can see Stevenson was proving it was more about his race. 

I'm excited to read more of the book and learn more of the story of Walter McMillian. 

Works Cited

Peplow, Gemma. "Just Mercy." SkyNews, 4 Oct. 2020, news.sky.com/story/just-mercy-the-true-story-behind-powerful-death-row-drama-11913545. Accessed 3 Mar. 2021.

Stevenson, Bryan. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. New York, Spiegel & Grau, 2014.