Justice is Peace

Every once in a while, Justice does prevail.  There are so many nuances to gaining "peace" after a violation of civil liberties or personal rights.  There is personal inner peace (emotional well being and re-centering of yourself) and then there is a peace from the Court system, which means that our public infrastructure supports (or doesn't support) what is right.  I would often tell my clients (after something horrible happened to them or their loved one) to take some time to heal themselves, because often healing emotionally does not coincide with litigation.  Litigation is hard to endure and is a very stressful experience.  It's filled with intrusive discovery and depositions and digging at your personal life.  And at the end, you may or may not win.  You have to hope you have the right Judge and the right Jury, etc.

Practicing animal law taught me that just because I am on the right side and just because I may have all the evidence on my side, it does not mean that justice will prevail.  Having all the right ingredients still does not mean that you will get the verdict that you deserve or are entitled to receive.

So when I heard the jury verdict yesterday, as I sat outside at St. Francis Fountain while eating the best restaurant vegan burger ever in the entire world (The Devil Burger), I was blown away!   Immediately after the verdict was released, I could hear the tap dancers dancing with joy on the sidewalk of the corner of 24th Street and York.  I heard the fire sirens going off in solidarity with the verdict.   I heard fire works.  I know it shouldn't be a treat and something special when something correct happens, but my eyes have seen a lot and when good prevails it is something notable.  This time, Justice prevailed!  It's so wonderful and so amazing when it works!

And the relief!  I was lighter.  I felt safer.  I felt like I was part of a country that shared my views.  I felt like the jury was actually a group of my peers.  And, most importantly, that the world was not as disparate as I had imagined it to be.  

This is a hopeful statement for the future.  Talk about a breath of fresh air.  It is no coincidence that my last post was about George last year.  What a dark period we were in one year ago.  Brighter days ahead!   

Just a side note, thank you to everybody who keeps their phone out and records when they see injustice or violations upon people, animals or the environment.  It's a reminder of just how important that the video evidence was in this case.  We all need to keep our phones charged with enough storage space to capture these moments.  Hopefully, we never have to use that space to film such an event in the future, but I am so grateful for the people who recorded and spoke out for George!

Again, I try not to let litigation impact my own inner-peace, but when something like this happens, it really has a profound impact!  Anyway folks, have an amazing rest of your week!

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