Sunday, July 14, 2013

No Justice Far Too Common

     The public, the media and political figures need to understand a national tragedy about child victims and getting justice.  Far too many parents of all races and from all walks of life (myself included) never get justice for children of all ages killed in situations requiring law enforcement and the criminal justice system.
     My son died of a gunshot wound to the chest.  There was no public outcry, march or protest.  No one cared.  The media was co-opted into keeping the story quiet as it involved a mayor's daughter.  No one cared.  People lied.  No one cared.  People hid and destroyed evidence, even the medical examiner.  No one cared.  The police, medical examiner and county solicitor did not cooperate.  No one cared.  There was no inquest, no grand jury, no arrest and certainly no trial.  No one cared.
     Perhaps similar things happened to you surrounding the death of your child.  And no one cared.  Every parent's child deserves the very best in police investigation and legal representation and advocacy.  This, however, is far from reality.  
 

4 comments:

  1. Whenever my husband and I watch a mystery show (usually Masterpiece Mystery on PBS) we always comment that Graham would have had justice if our case was handled by caring, ethical and intelligent investigators. Our experience was just the opposite.
    Even Trayon Martin did not get justice. The case wouldn't have even gone to trial if there hadn't been a public outcry and yet somehow Zimmerman got away with provoking an innocent person and then claiming self-defense. It's outrageous. If Zimmerman hadn't felt empowered by carrying a gun, Trayvon Martin would be alive today.

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  2. What we see on television just doesn't match the reality of our criminal justice system. There always seems to be so many technicalities with the law. The system seems to protect the rights of the accused far more than those of the victims and families. Proving a case beyond a reasonable doubt in criminal cases always seem to be a sticking point as well.
    I, too, have concerns about the number of guns on the streets in the US. The Martin-Zimmerman case leaves us with a string of "if only's." As I mentioned, I am meeting with Kathleen O'Hara. She emphasizes that grief is a journey. With acceptance, the goal is to move from telling the story of your child's death to telling a story of life. Although I am still working on accepting many of the circumstance around Chris' death, I think I have accepted his death. That took a very long time. This is not to say I no longer miss him and don't have times of sadness, but I have
    moved on some more in my journey. Many things bring up regrets and memories. Be patient. Keep reaching out. Keep a journal. Things will improve.

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  3. It's sad that victims continue to be victimized by the "justice" system.

    I think it will be a long time before I get to the part of the journey where I can tell the story of my son's life rather than his death. In fact, I can barely speak about him because I always start to cry.

    I can't remember what you said about meeting with Kathleen O'Hara. Will it be a private meeting or are you attending a seminar?

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  4. It's okay. You are where you are. It has taken me a very long time to get to this point. I am meeting with Kathleen privately, although I believe she does give seminars & workshops. Her website is http://www.kathleenohara.com & her email is
    KEOhara@aol.com
    The pain of your son's death will always be with you. Right now your pain is acute. Although it doesn't seem like it today, but one day your pain will be bearable. You must have patience with and compassion for yourself. If you are not going to a grief support group, you may find it helpful to connect face to face with other parents. Right now you are not only dealing with what happened to your son, but what has happened to you as a result of your son's death. This is a hard journey & process. With time the pain will diminish. You can gain power over it and your feelings will change.

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