Speaking of civil liberties
by digby
… bravo to Radley Balko and other civil libertarian bloggers who pursued this case that resulted in a man being freed from death row. I’m not sure you have to accomplish anything else in your life if you’ve contributed to that cause. It’s awe inspiring.
Even more inspiring is the fact that it happened in this particular case, which featured one of those mistaken identity police break-ins in which the man who lived there shot one of the police officers assuming he was a home invader (which, in a very real sense, he was.) The officer happened to be the son of the police chief, who was white. And the shooter was black. Did I mention that this happened in Mississippi?
It’s extremely gratifying to see someone caught in the maw of the justice machine, as this man was, freed by the efforts of people who care about civil liberties and pursue them. I’m sure it makes it all worthwhile for those who devote their time to this with little reward and huge frustrations.
The state has immense power to take away a citizens’ freedom and immense resources to bring to bear against them. This case shows that, no matter what, the justice system needs watchdogs.
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