Race Relations and the Justice System

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Race Relations and the Justice System In the past race has been an issue in the justice system. Race has impacted the justice system over the years as illustrated by the Scottsboro Boys case, the Emmett Till Case, and more recently the Trayvon Martin Case. These cases have shown that race was an issue and continues to be an issue in the courts of America. On March 25, 1931 nine African-American boys were hitching rides on the train along with a group of white boys and two white women, who were prostitutes. Many of the blacks got into fights with the whites and force them to get off the train. When the train stopped for water, the women, accused the nine boys of rape. The trials started on April 6, 1931. The boys were given an alcoholic lawyer, who had come to the courthouse drunk, and only consulted with the youth for thirty minutes. Right off the bat these boys weren’t given a fair trial; they were given an alcoholic as a lawyer. Even though there was medical evidence that pointed towards rape, all nine boys were convicted and put on trial, just like Atticus proved Tom Robinson was innocent and the one who beat Mayella was Mr. Ewell (Altman). In 1955, Emmett Till, a fourteen year old boy, was kidnapped at gunpoint by two white men after Till supposedly said, “Bye baby,” to a white store clerk. His body was then found in the Tallahatchie River with a bullet in his head and there was evidence that he had been heartlessly beaten. Even with all the evidence against the two white men, they were cleared of all the charges by an all-white jury. In To Kill a Mockingbird, there was evidence that proved Tom Robinson was innocent, but yet he was convicted and put in jail. When Tom tried to escape, he was shot 17 times. More recently, there has been a case in 2012 where race has been an issue in the justice system. On February 26, 2012 George Zimmerman,a neighborhood

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