After the Verdict
Daniel Penny being found Not Guilty can be a beginning of justice being restored.
When I was about to leave my pick-up to do my grocery shopping late this morning I heard that Daniel Penny was found Not Guilty. To say I was happy was an understatement. Let’s just say people might have been wondering why I wore such a smile as I entered HEB.
And it is a happy occasion. This Anglican will be singing a Te Deum later.
But there are remaining injustices that cry out for remedy:
Self-defense and defense of others is a basic right and often a duty that is fundamental to a just and functioning society. Prosecutors like Alvin Bragg who attack that right should be liable to lawsuits under civil rights law if not criminal charges. I hope the Trump Administration finds viable avenues to do so. And federal and state law needs to be strengthened to protect defense of self and others.
Jury intimidation is a crime that undermines the fairness of trials. That BLM crowd so loud and so close to the courthouse that you could hear them inside should have been warned to cease and arrested if necessary.
That jury deserves praise. They did not cave under pressure. They refused to nitpick a man defending others. We should follow their good example. If that means jury nullification in some cases, so be it.
It is unjust that Daniel Penny now faces a civil suit from the grifters that now all of a sudden care about being Jordan Neely’s parents. Facing both criminal charges and a civil suit for the same allegation should be treated as double jeopardy and should be prohibited when a criminal court delivers a Not Guilty verdict. Yes, that would require changes in current law.
There have been thinly veiled threats of retaliation and even riots in the aftermath of the verdict. There should be no repeat of past riots, not even close. Any BLM/Antifa riots should be swiftly repressed with all necessary force. And I would not terribly mind some unnecessary force as well. A functioning society does not put up with that garbage.
At the same time, I do not want to detract from this being a good day. Let’s pray and work together for many more of them, for justice.
Amen!