Help Yourself to a Conviction


Seventeen-year-old Sammy Adams was running down the sidewalk alongside Floradora Avenue, no doubt a little faster than he should.  He was late for work.  Again.  Today was inventory day and he knew what the boss would do if he didn’t get there on time.

Doris Daudy, a woman of approximately 38 years old, was walking north on Maroa toward her home just north of the Tower District.  Her purse was slung over one shoulder, her arms wrapped around grocery bags.  She never minded the walk; it was just a few blocks.  And although there was an occasional purse-snatching in the area, she’d walked this route for years without problems and felt perfectly safe.

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The Gates of Hell


Today’s San Francisco Chronicle, in a story titled “Gates 911 tape raises more issues in case,” is important because it mentions — and I’d like to highlight — something that happens every day.

And no, it’s not that the police are prejudiced and immediately suspect, stop and harass African-American males for being in the wrong place, any time.

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Why Innocent People Need Lawyers


Miami criminal defense attorney Brian Tannebaum writes about people who fear that hiring an attorney will make them look guilty.  I see this, too, although by the time people call me, they’ve usually gotten past that point.

More often what I see is people who become uncomfortable after I tell them to stop talking to others.  In particular, I want them to stop talking to the police.  That’s when I tend to hear, “But won’t I look guilty?”

And my response to them is the same as Brian’s response to people who think they’ll look guilty just by hiring an attorney: “No.  You already look guilty.”

And that’s just one of the reasons innocent people need lawyers.

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