Show Trials in the US

I recall a particular court hearing in my own case that triggered the understanding that there are show trials in the US too. The thought that I was in a kangaroo court permeated my mind as I listened to John Craft, the prosecutor, state that I had foreign bank accounts and trash bags full of cash buried in my backyard. It would have been laughable if I wasn't the victim du jour. I made several attempts to respond to the allegations, but was cut-off by the kangaroo court judge, Anthony Johnson. I did manage to blurt out my response before Johnson was able to move on to a new topic; I had to as Orange County, Florida records all Circuit Court hearings, and if the allegation was going to be recorded, I knew that my response needed to be as well. Can't let such wild lies go without response and I was stuck representing myself at that point.


If you've read Memoirs of an Accused Madam, then you know it only worsened from that point forward. The trial was totally bizarre, with clerks from the prosecutor's office dressed like street hookers for effect and state witnesses gabbing with each other all over the halls. My friend Dusty kept me updated on the hallway circus at the conclusion of each day. The jurors could hardly walk through it all as they entered and exited the courtroom throughout each day. I can only imagine what they thought, but then it was clear to me that the verdicts reflected their thoughts well.

I will venture to say that there aren't many trials as bizarre as that one; I know there aren't as I've sat in many courtrooms watching other trials.

There are other variations of the show trial that take place in courtrooms across the US every day of the week. If you're ever bored and want to find out what's really going on with our criminal justice system, go watch a felony trial. For good measure make it an interesting one, perhaps a racketeering trial if at all possible.

I have almost finished reading J. Patrick O'Connor's The Framing of Mumia Abu Jamal. I figured that I would mention the book, since I'm on the topic of show trials. What a book. I am floored at what McGill (the prosecutor) was allowed to get away with during Mumia's trial; absolutely shocking! O'Connor lays out the scene of the shooting of Officer Faulkner and the evidence piece by piece, word by word, and witness by witness. He includes transcripts of court testimony that was important, and tells the reader why it is so important. This was a show trial to rival any in the former Soviet Union.

The main issue that tugs at me as I read this book is that I do not understand why the murdered officer's wife Maureen would find this acceptable. It really bothers me or I wouldn't state it here. Doesn't she want justice served in her husband's murder? Doesn't she care that it is CLEAR that Mumia Abu Jamal is not guilty? I won't say anymore here as I do intend to review the book in the next few days. It is a troubling case, and one that should bother anyone interested in justice.

There is a man in Montgomery County, Mississippi that is now starting his sixth capital murder trial for a 1996 shooting that left four people dead. Yes, you read that correctly – the sixth trial. His name is Curtis Flowers and his most recent two trials ended in hung juries. The first three trials resulted in convictions; however, the racial issues in ole Mississippi, the fabricated witness testimony, and prosecutorial misconduct during each trial resulted in the state Supreme Court overturning the verdict and ordering a new trial.

Curtis Flowers new show trial begins this week according to CNN. He has a team of attorneys and many supporters watching. Montgomery County, Mississippi prosecutors should be put on notice that the world is watching and they're not going to get away with the criminal acts committed in the preceding five trials. Mr. Flowers is entitled to a real and fair trial – he has already been incarcerated since January of 1997 waiting for it. If they can't convict him this time they had better set him free.