To the Point
Blacks, Whites and Access to Justice
The mass of conflicting evidence released by prosecutors fed heated arguments about how and why Officer Darren Wilson killed Michael Brown last August in Ferguson, Missouri. That has sparked a broader debate about equal access to justice for black Americans. On this Martin Luther King Day, we are re-broadcasting a discussion that first aired on November 26.
By Warren Olney • • 52m ListenThe mass of conflicting evidence released by prosecutors fed heated arguments about how and why Officer Darren Wilson killed Michael Brown last August in Ferguson, Missouri. That has sparked a broader debate about equal access to justice for black Americans. On this Martin Luther King Day, we are re-broadcasting a discussion that first aired on November 26.
Also, Aurora, Colorado, braces for a mass murder trial, and a re-examination of President Lyndon Johnson. Was he the key to civil rights movement success, or one of the biggest obstacles?
In this episode
3 storiesAurora, Colorado, Braces for Mass Murder Trial
Two and a half years ago, James Holmes walked into a crowded movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, during a midnight screening of Batman and opened fire, killing 12 people. Holmes admits he did the killings, but argues he was legally insane. The prosecutor wants to give him the death penalty. Jury selection begins tomorrow.
Read the story7 minBlacks, Whites and Access to Justice
After a grand jury failed to indict Officer Darren Wilson for shooting an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, people took to the streets in 170 cities. Some said the lack of indictment proved that in the streets of America, black lives don’t matter.
Read the story32 minRe-Assessing LBJ
The new movie Selma has focused attention on the non-violent but bloody battle by Martin Luther King, Jr., and other activists as they tried to get a Voting Rights Act passed by Congress. Was President Lyndon Johnson one of their obstacles?
Read the story11 min