I’ve been watching a case down here in Florida. Martin Lee Anderson was a 14 year old youth who was struggling. His parents were strugging, also, to straighten him out. Martin was sent to a boot camp because of a probation violation, and his parents thought the people there were going to help them with their son. Instead, their son ended up dead at the hands of the guards at the boot camp.

The reason this case has been of special interest to me is because I have a son. He’s 26 now, but at the age of 14 he was having some emotional problems. We struggled so. I took him to therapy and put him on anti-depressants (which he hated me for). I made an appointment with the school psychologist. I asked for any help he might be able to give me. Any suggestions. His suggestion was to send my son to a boot camp. He had never had any discipline problems. None. But this was the psychologists answer. Needless to say, I walked out of the guy’s office never to return. I think there’s alot of kids in so called “boot camps” who don’t belong there, but in their struggle to find help for their children, parents go along with this idea. Because they are desperate.

Back to Martin. When Martin Lee Anderson ended up dead, the medical examiner claimed he died from internal bleeding caused by sickle cell anemia. The problem was, there was a videotape of Martin being beaten…….a 30 minute beating. A second autopsy determined Martin’s death was not caused by sickle cell, nor was it from natural causes.

There were calls to shut down the Florida Juvenile Justice systems boot camps but then governor Jeb Bush said no. Eventually the Florida legislature called for the closing of the camps.

Eight of the boot camp guards and a nurse were eventually charged with aggravated manslaughter, and it was a good day for Martin’s parents. They thought justice would be served. They were wrong.

This month, it took an all white jury in Panama City, Florida (redneck riviera) 90 minutes to decide to acquit all those charged. The day I heard that verdict I about died. I can’t imagine in my wildest dreams the anger, disappointment and sadness Martin’s parents must have felt that day.

The state has awarded Martin’s parents $5 million for wrongful death. But this is not the ultimate justice they were seeking.

Yesterday, the NAACP lead about 700 protesters at the federal courthouse in Tallahassee, demanding justice. I watched the protest on the television and all I could think of is ……..where are the white people? Why are there only black people protesting this injustice? There’s something very very wrong with this picture. While I do believe it is a black/white issue as far as the jury and acquittal are concerned (the panhandle of Florida is filled with redneck morons), I also believe people of all races should be screaming about this case. It’s just soooooooooooo wrong.

The Department of Justice in Washington and the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida are going to review the state’s prosecution of this case. Let’s hope they do the right thing and these murderers go to jail.

Anyone who thinks race is not an issue in America is sadly mistaken. Read the comments in the local newspapers down here and you can see racism is alive and well. It just seems to me that we’re moving backwards. And with everything else that is wrong in this country right now, we should be united, not divided. People should unite and let the justice system know we’re not going to put up with this kind of injustice, no matter what color the victim!

C’mon people!!!