Page 20
November 2007
The AC Phoenix
From the ‘Scopes Trial’ to Michael Vick
By Alton H. Maddox, Jr.
It was the 1920s. The venue was
Tennessee. The issue was ereation-
ism versus evolution. This was the
trial of the century. It was religion
versus science. The “dream” combat
ants were William Jennings Bryan
and Clarence Darrow. Bryan repre
sented the prosecution and Darrow
represented the defense. Near the end
of the 20"' century, Scopes v. State
had been supplanted by California v.
Simpson. In addition to science, there
were also issues of race, sex and vio
lence to adjudge Simpson’s guilt.
The dream team, a group of all-star
lawyers headed by Johnnie Cochran,
would guide Simpson through the
legal minefield.
A search is now afoot for the trial
of the 21®‘ century. Before Michael
Vick put himself at the mercy of the
court, my pick, so far, would have
been United States of America v.
Michael Vick. Before his guilty plea,
Vick was the quarterback for the At
lanta Falcons and also the highest
paid NFL player.
The Worst decision that Vick has
made, so far, was raising the white
flag in a Virginia federal courthouse
before anyone fired a shot. If his on-
the-field behavior had emulated his
in-court behavior, no one would have
paid a dime to see him quarterback a
professional football team.
Warriors are respected on and off
the field. Vick is charged with dog
fighting but he is not charged with
gambling at sidebar. This admission
falls far short of his conducting busi
ness enterprise as is alleged in the
indictment. At best, Vick may have
been engaged in a hobby but the
prosecution must prove every ele
ment of the indictment beyond a rea
sonable doubt.
Crimes are classified as either
malum in se or malum prohibitum.
Dog fighting is classified under
malum prohibitum and, when inter
state commerce is involved, it is a
federal offense. Similarly, the depri
vation of a civil right is also a federal
offense but it is classified as malum
y
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The emerging picture is that when
a dog is maimed or murdered in an
interstate dogfight, a federal offense
has occurred. On the other hand,
when a Black man is beaten senseless
or is murdered by a state actor, the
state actor is given a promotion. The
state has an obligation to protect an
animal, but no similar obligation to
protect a Black person.
Amadou Diallo was shot at 41
times with 19 bulls-eyes. The four,
white assassins are back on the job.
While it is illegal for the state to exe
cute a person after trial, with 41
shots, policemen may take matters
into their own hands. Thus, New
York City is co-sponsoring our op
pression. There were 50 shots ex
pended in the assassination of Sean
Bell. No one will be going to prison.
There was also no public outcry
from the People for Ethical Treat
ment of Animals (PETA) over these
assassinations. Yet, Russell Simmons
and Rev. A1 Sharpton were ticked
off, along with PETA, over Vick
continuing to enjoy the proceeds
from commercial endorsements. Ob
viously, Simmons and Sharpton
never heard of reciprocity or quid pro
quo. The have made no demands on
Continued on Page 21
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