Verified Document

Opening Court Statement For Defendants Term Paper

The burglar is an intruder and might threaten the lives of the homeowner and the homeowner's family, so it is right and proper that someone try to defend their home, and the burglar must suffer the consequences. The irony is, if Sweet awoke and found a single burglar in his home and defended himself, he would not be on trial today. But a White angry racial mob's implied threat seems harder for the state to understand. Sweet only used the guns he had bought to defend his property and family after the mob began to actually try to break into the Sweet residence, hurling stones through the upstairs windows. Can Sweet be blamed for panicking, trying to save his family and the home he tried to hard to build, and firing out into the assembled, angry mob? The prosecution will try to play upon your own fears, ladies and gentlemen of the jury. They will suggest that Sweet could have called the police instead of shooting -- the police that had allowed a mob to congregate on the lawn of the Sweet property. Six policemen were already standing there, staring at the stone-throwing crowd, but these officers did nothing to stop the intruders, not even the people who were throwing stones at Sweet's windows. The prosecution will try to play upon your fears of Sweet as an angry...

He is an ordinary homeowner and father. He did not come to Detroit looking for trouble, merely a better life. He had grown up in a state of the union where it was common to see White men kill Black men and go unpunished and hoped to find better life in this city.
We live in a divided world, in a divided city where many people fear losing their jobs and thus perhaps are more apt to fear people who are different. But I ask you to honor your duties to the law and to simple humanity, ladies and gentlemen of the jury and put yourself in Dr. Sweet's shoes. What would you do if you awoke to a crowd of angry people, demanding you leave your hard-earned property? What if you remembered all of the friends you saw die as a young man, simply because of the color of their skin? What if you remembered your friend who had his home torn apart by a White mob and was forced physically to turn over the deed to his own home? I ask you to see past color, Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, and see your own face and fears mirrored in the face of the defendant, Thomas Sweet, and his family.

Works Cited

Boyle, Kevin. Arc of Justice. New York: Henry Holt and Co., 2004.

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Boyle, Kevin. Arc of Justice. New York: Henry Holt and Co., 2004.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Court Proceeding Experience
Words: 1403 Length: 4 Document Type: Reaction Paper

Murder Trial of Nicholas Lindsey, March 2012 Factual and Procedural Background On the evening of February 21, 2011, Police Officer David Crawford of the St. Petersburg, Florida police department was fatally shot while investigating a report of a suspicious person or prowler in a residential neighborhood. After a 24-hour search expedition, police arrested and booked 16-year-old Nicolas Lindsey on charges of first-degree murder. Lindsey confessed to the killing in a taped

Mock Trial Opening Statement Your
Words: 1407 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

I want you to put yourself in their shoes and then tell me how you would feel if someone--anyone -- got a hold of your personal information, your private information, your identity, and used that information to buy stuff online. To commit Grand Theft. Now, the defense is going to try to steer your minds away from the crime that was committed and will tell you that the police were

Appeal System the Appeal of a Sentence
Words: 793 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Appeal System The appeal of a sentence or verdict in a criminal case is governed by statute. Consequently, the appeal represents the first opportunity that a convicted federal criminal may seek to contest a conviction or sentence. The appeal allows the system to engage in due care, and gives a final opportunity to the defendant to challenge before the conviction is finalized. In fact the conviction and sentence that has been

Protocols of Litigating a Civil
Words: 7018 Length: 26 Document Type: Essay

This is usually a low standard to achieve. As long as a person acts in a way which avails the person of the protection of the laws of that state, that person has subjected themselves to the jurisdiction of that state (International Shoe). Next, the complaint will allege subject matter jurisdiction, i.e., that the lawsuit fulfill the requirements for this court to hear it? Pertinent requirements can include how much

Tort Law Case Questions for Barney Barney,
Words: 981 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Tort Law Case Questions for Barney Barney, how long have you known the plaintiff? Have you lived next door to each other the entire time you have known one another? How would you describe your relationship with the plaintiff? Has it been consistently the same over the years, or has it changed? Would you characterize it as friendly, perhaps even as a friendship or a close friendship? Have you and the plaintiff every had

Special Duties of Prosecutors One of the
Words: 1119 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Special Duties of Prosecutors One of the major differentiating aspects of the United States of America is the fact that if arrested, you are innocent until proven guilty. This is a rare concept among legal systems. Most countries deem the suspect guilty until proven innocent. In the United States, it is the duty of the Prosecutor to find the defendant guilty, while the defense attorney is solely responsible for upholding his

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now