Independence Day, literally.

Who knows how widespread and sustained outrage had to get for George Floyd’s death to trigger indictments of former Minnesota police officers Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane as well as international calls for sweeping reform of law enforcement in America. It – the outrage – seemed to span the world and emanate from hundreds of thousands if not millions of people. And it still does, that we know. However, the essential lessons for those of us contending with organized U.S. legal system abuse are more nuanced.

Lest we make filling the streets of many U.S. and several foreign cities the minimum price for justice when injustice is institutionalized in America, our concept of “widespread and sustained outrage” must encompass more than precedents of extremely popular social justice movements such as Black Lives Matter, particularly upon the death of George Floyd at the hands (actually the knee) of Derek Chauvin while fellow cops Thao, Kueng, and Lane acquiesced. It matters not that the prospect of U.S. judges deliberately and frequently violating litigant rights should outrage Americans to the point of our near rioting. Much less emotional displays . . . in fact, any and all corresponding concern, heartfelt and apparent on a wide enough basis, could trigger sweeping relief and system reforms.

The way Opt IN USA presented relevant concerns garnered phenomenal support from the U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRCouncil).[1] In that sense, the quest for judicial accountability in America is no less global than the Black Lives Matter movement. Yet, the national grassroots U.S. legal system reform community timidly embraces Opt IN USA, preferring it spark Black-Lives-Matter-like momentum and/or shun the United Nations. Such remains the case, despite Opt IN USA having been well received by both the UNHRCouncil and the less embattled U.N. Human Rights Committee.[2] So, concerns of U.S. legal system reform activists, to the extent articulated by Opt IN USA, seem not to resonate widely. We accordingly fall short of that undeniable threshold for justice when injustice is institutionalized in America: Substantial Domestic and Coveted Global Scrutiny.

(C)oncerns of U.S. legal system reform activists, to the extent articulated by Opt IN USA, seem not to resonate widely. We accordingly fall short of that undeniable threshold for justice when injustice is institutionalized in America: Substantial Domestic and Coveted Global Scrutiny.

While the national grassroots U.S. legal system reform community insists on fidelity to one or more articulations of its concerns excluding that of Opt IN USA, domestic relief continues eluding its constituents. Many of our lives are in literal ruins, courtesy of organized U.S. legal system abuse, facilitated by unchecked judicial misconduct. In the meantime, America is more and more shielded from international scrutiny. We are more and more isolated from the international human rights community. U.S.-based, nongovernmental, deep pocket human rights advocates dare not even acknowledge our plight . . . not and continue enjoying the niceties of major media coverage, 5 to 8 figure operating budgets, as well as considerable prestige in any corridor of power.

Kindly contemplate this Independence Day how wise it is to burn the international stage on which Opt IN USA has ushered those of us persecuted and psychologically tortured by titans of U.S. legal system abuse; characters only too content to sacrifice people like Floyd as well as Chauvin, Thao, Kueng, and Lane. As an Opt IN USA sister organization recently emphasized:

To attain appropriate judicial accountability, our attention must extend to not only some judge or even judges, but also America's judiciary; its performance, operation, accountability and so on.  ALL THESE matters should matter to NFOJA members.  WE comprise NFOJA, the National Forum On Judicial Accountability ?? 

And as both Opt IN USA’s and NFOJA’s lead strategist recently emphasized:

(I)f average Americans simply lack the wherewithal to shape our government’s priorities, we should probably want protecting us from domestic, institutionalized repression to be among the UN’s priorities.

The point is: We must transcend complaining, and extend public awareness beyond the dysfunctions, malfunctions, and corruption of America’s legal system to their sound solutions which a collaboration of all stakeholder groups would more readily identify than special interests isolated from others. Should less engagement continue characterizing the national grassroots U.S. legal system reform community, how could more justice than injustice result? Instead, independence will less likely characterize life for generations of Americans directly or indirectly enduring organized U.S. legal system abuse. Independence is increasingly becoming for us, a mere holiday.

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[1] See, Opt IN USA. (October 12, 2018). “UN Human Rights Council Poised to Address Prospect of Judicial Impunity in America”, accessible as of May 1, 2020 @ https://www.prlog.org/12734665-un-human-rights-council-poised-to-address-prospect-of-judicial-impunity-in-america.html

[2] See, Opt IN USA’s related post @ https://www.facebook.com/Opt.IN.USA/posts/3008779959144889