From: adams@cobra.Stanford.EDU (Allen Adams)
Subject: Broken laws and Civil unrest [Concluding Part]
Summary: When laws are meant to be broken
Keywords: Laws, Civil Unrest, LA
Organization: DSO, Stanford University
Date:  3 Sep 92 18:18:02 GMT

The following will be the concluding part of my 'three part series' talking
about when laws are meant to be broken.  To briefly review, my original 2
postings related to Mr. Leroy Green vs. State of California.  In those 2
postings, I tried to get some discussion as to when was it OK to break
laws.  I tried not to strongly inject my personal views in those postings.
Below, I do bring my views in.

In response to my second posting, regeorge@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu
basically reflected my viewpoints, especially about jury nullification.
There seems to be a large sentiment that the laws are either totally wrong
and it is up to juries to 'overturn' them, or that the laws that are 'OK' 
are not being enforced properly, therefore it is up to the jury to also 
nullify them.  A very interesting posting from cdt@sw.stratus.com followed 
which gave examples of 'quotes' from persons in our past and current 
history who said jury nullification is OK, and since the people quoted 
were of some notoriety, therefore these are 'truths' and therefore 
practicing jury nullification is OK.  As I implied in an earlier posting,
for those that practice jury nullification, I hope when they come to trial,
they get a jury of their 'jury nullification peers' and they really sweat 
out what the jury will decide.

----
Final posting (It should be noted that in discussing whether laws are meant
to be broken, I did not identify any of the players ethnic background/skin
color, etc.; thankfully (I was surprised, and it gives me hope that as a
society we have a chance) no one brought up this fact or implied it in
their responses):

One of the basic realities in our society is that as individuals, we are
not longer Americans first.  Instead, we are of some possible ethnic
background who's soul has just happened to be in a human body on this 
planet, and fortunately/unfortunately this individuals body is in a 
country called the United States of America.  In keeping with todays times,
I will refer to Whites/Caucasians/European Americans as WCEA,
Hispanics/Spanish/Mexican Americans as HSMA, Blacks/African
Americans as BAA, and Asian/Korean/Chinese/Japanese/Vietnamese Americans as
AKCJVA.  If I have left off your favorite race, creed, or color, I am
sorry; I would like to just refer to people as Americans, but it isn't
politically correct anymore.

One of the bright spots in the jury case I was on was the variety of
Americans that served on it.  There were 5 WCEA, 4 BAA, 2 HSMA, and 1
AKCHVA (I was among the WCEA).  Although there were at times spoken/
unspoken/deserved/underserved ethnic tensions, I felt that Mr. Green got 
as fair a trial as one could expect.  So without further adoo, here is when
it is OK to break laws.  These 'times' are based on conclusions made during
deliberations and afterwards in discussions with friends (which by the way
includes a Middle Eastern/Arabic American or MEAA).

Mr. Leroy Green was BAA.  Since BAAs are the most mistreated of the ethnic
backgrounds, there are times when disobeying the laws are OK, especially
when the police are involved.  Since the two testifying officers, one WCEA,
one HSMA, are not BAA, it is OK for BAA to flee from police because of the
mistreatment that BAAs get.  Fortunately for Mr. Green, 2 of the BAAs on
the jury believed this and judged not guilty.  Unfortunately for Mr. Green,
since his case is to retried, the other 2 BAAs judged guilty, although 
they admitted they did so very reluctantly.  One of the two HSMAs and her 
husband are always being harassed by police, because they drive an old 
car in incorrect neighborhoods, which everyone on the jury agreed that 
this police behavior has to stop, but for some reason both HSMA judged 
guilt.  One of the WCEA was pulled over by police in a predominately 
HSMA neighborhood because he was driving a BMW model car and fit a drug 
dealer type description.  All 5 WCEA judged guilt.  Finally the lone 
AKCJVA also judged guilt, but since she was 'just a college student', she 
may not have been exposed to enough to realize when/when not laws can be 
broken.

Another time laws are meant to be broken is when the police are chasing
you.  Just like in the 'Lethal Weapon' series of movies, police are always
shooting out of their moving vehicles.  They are so aggressive that they
even try to shoot around innocent bystanders, especially if the police
involved are of a different ethnic background as the suspect in question.
While you are being chased, it is OK to speed, run red-lights, drive
excessively down a freeway, drive recklessly around on/off ramps, drive on
the wrong side of the road, go around cars stopped at an intersection,
and dodge cars coming from in-coming traffic.

I am too sad to go on, because to do so just encourages me to join in the
'Woe is me' attitude we have as a country/society at this moment.  Thanks 
for all the responses I got to the first two postings.  Next time there 
is a riot in your 'neck of the woods', just remember it is a jungle out 
there (if you don't believe me, just look at what has been happening in 
Florida the past week).

Allen Adams :-(