I've never written about a comment that someone wrote in response to one of my posts. Most of them are thoughtful disagreements that raise the merits of the opposite point of view.
As a criminal defense lawyer, I expect many to disagree with my views on fairness and justice. We are surrounded by "Law and Order" types, and not just the 37 shows a week on TV by the same title. Most believe the problem with crime, is that we are not making enough people criminals, and putting them in prison for the rest of their lives.
I believe in the First Amendment, and it's broad protection of even thoughts like the following comment on my post about Martin Lee Anderson:
Unfortunately this boy was guilty of much more than just stealing his grandmother's car. I know that when Leon County Boot Camp was still in existence the juveniles it housed were averaging 12-13 crimes before intake. Factor in percentage of times they committed crimes before they were actually caught and you're racking up quite the record. As for the State of Florida taking care of her son, do you not attribute any of this to poor parenting skills and the inability of the mother to place her son in an environment conducive to success? I am truly sorry that this boy is dead, and I don't think he "got what he deserved", but you can't say that they murdered him. The juvenile had an illness and the coroner ruled it a natural death. If anything, there was poor screening prior to intake. The only physical contact made to the juvenile were legitimate leg sweeps and arm bars. They were also consistently bringing water to the juvenile. This boy went through nothing different than any other juvenile in the system, he just happened to have a disease. Poor upbringing and the ineffectiveness of a functional family could be considered factors in the juvenile's death more than the fault of the officers.
I cant tell you who wrote this, because of course, they were too much of a coward to post their real name.
Any comments?
Brian Tannebaum is a criminal defense attorney in Miami, Florida practicing in state and federal court. To learn more about Brian and his firm, Tannebaum Weiss, please visit www.tannebaumweiss.com
15 hours ago