"Justice"

A number of high profile cases have come to a head in the past few months, including the Casey Anthony case, the Troy Davis case, and just yesterday the verdict was read at the Amanda Knox case.
All of these people came to the stand claiming their innocence. Two of them were let go, one was killed. Two of them were young white women, one was an African American male. That's three high-profile cases where the guilt of the defendant was uncertain. The two white women got off, and the African American male was given the death penalty, despite claiming his innocence to the very end. I will let that speak for itself on behalf of our nation.
What is justice to you? What does that word mean? Does there necessarily need to be retribution for one's actions? Can we no longer take someone's word for it when they tell us what they have or haven't done? Who's job is it to decide whether you have paid for your sins and how best you should do that? When is death the answer?
That's a lot of questions. It's got me thinking though...who has the right to decide? Who am I to "cast a stone" and reprimand someone or celebrate in someone being punished or killed?
What is justice in our eyes? Revenge? People should get theirs? Equal treatment? You get what you give? I think that comes around naturally. Who is another human being to decide that someone else deserves "justice?"
The word comes with a negative connotation now. If "Justice is being served" by someone being killed by our government, I want nothing to do with it. The death penalty is so archaic and uncivilized. Our system is so fundamentally flawed. It doesn't uphold true justice. Who are we killing and is that fair?
Minorities are more often to get the death penalty and be locked up. Minorities are more likely to be convicted of crimes. Our justice system is more likely to fail minorities.

To the point, I don't agree with our "justice" system, and I don't believe in other people determining what is just. We are not God and we are not to judge. It is time to re-evaluate the way people are treated and the systemic problems that lead people to our criminal justice system. Instead of executing people and normalizing that--so that millions can grow up thinking that "justice" means death and the government can kill "bad" people--we ought to be putting time into community endeavors and correctional facilities. We ought to be making our neighborhoods a safe place to live for everyone, that would be a just thing to do.

No "justice" was served when Troy Davis died in the arms of our government. Blood is on all of our hands for that. No other civilized nation executes people anymore. Our nation, as big as it is, should uphold peace and equality and be a model for others. We need to lead by example, and right now the message this country is sending is that death and killing is acceptable, so long as it is done out of revenge and "justice." That's the same reason people get killed on the streets.

--Megan