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Mallak Ali

Ms.Gardner

English 10H, Per. 5

8 November 2017

Unfair Trial Speech

Ladies and gentleman, we are gathered here today to fight for everyone’s God-given

rights, including the rights of those of a different race, social status, or color. Today we stand to

eliminate any bias towards our peers that which stand in the way for a fair trial. Today we stand

to change the ways of law enforcement!

As a child, the name Mallak Ali wasn’t common within my hometown of Petaluma, and

because of this I was treated differently in relation to other students or I was called out on my

background. Even till today, I still remember vividly when a student had gone so far as to call me

a terrorist, even though I hadn’t known them. I was proud, excuse me, I am proud of my origin

yet why was it that some had felt as if it was their mission to treat me unreasonably. It is because

of these details, that I feel the need to make it my own mission to ensure that every person is not

mistreated due to a factor in which provokes biases.

Throughout history, men and women alike have been discriminated for their race, their

skin color, their social status, and slowly yet progressively, there have been changes made

towards granting mankind equality. These laws have been made in order to regulate these

changes, yet how well have these modifications been enforced? From the case of a black man
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ruthlessly beaten and not receiving justice​, to the case of famous and loathsome white man who

has yet to be put to justice: unfair trials range in all directions.

According to Douglas O Linder, an American historian who attended Stanford Law

School, Rodney King was said to have been given an unfair trial due to underlying factors

[LAPD (King Beating) Trial (1992)]. Within the case of Rodney King, otherwise known as the

“King Beating”, the 26 year old African-American was violently beaten with excessive force by

three Los Angeles police officers. In regards to the videotape of King’s beating, 90% of Los

Angeles residents had said that the police were unlawful and vicious and should receive some

form of punishment, yet the police officers were found innocent. The ​Los Angeles Times ​then

goes on to suggest that perhaps the officers were found innocent because the jury consisted of

only white civilians. From this, some have theorized that the jury was obviously racist and the

case of Rodney King had been given an unfair trial. Unfortunately, due to the fifth amendment,

the police officers cannot be retried since they have already been proven innocent. However, if

the court were to acknowledge the fifth amendment, wouldn’t it be only honorable to

acknowledge the sixth amendment, which states “trial of a jury by your peers.” This ultimately

violates King’s Constitutional rights.

In regards to the Harvey Weinstein case, Alanna Vagianos, a writer from ​The Huffington

Post,​ ​ ​states that the producer has been accused of “sexual misconduct by over 60 women” over

the time span of three decades. Due to these accusations, Weinstein should be placed in prison

for 5 to 25 years, yet his lawyers still assure Weinstein that the charges will be easily dropped.

Within the interview that Vagianos had written about, Gloria Steinem, a social political activist,

highlights that with an activity that is sexist or racist, biases come into consideration which
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“takes more cumulative instances for it to be recognized.” To what extent will be people of an

upper class be able to defy the law and not be punished for it? To what extent will the laws be

enforced, honestly and equally to all bodies ?

Those of law enforcement, today I ask of you to go forward with fair minds to those

whom you are prosecuting. We have made too many great advancements throughout history to

now ignore a right that has been given to us by our nation. Whether they are a homeless man in

an alley or Bill Gates, whether they are black or white, whether they are Christian or Atheist, I

ask of you all to put you bias aside and properly enforce these laws while still acknowledging the

document containing our rights. To further help this cause, police departments should spend

more of their budget on “Implicit Bias” workshops in order to disregard bias. Perhaps some may

propose that the cost is too much, but the general public’s rights are too important to be

dismissed due to a budget.I ask of you to think not of yourselves and your bias - think of others

in disregard to their bias. I ask for equal protection under the law for all.
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Work Cited

Linder , Douglas O. “LAPD (King Beating).” ​Famous Trials​, www.famous-trials.com/lapd

Vagianos, Alanna. “Jane Fonda: People Are Listening Now Because Weinstein Victims Are

'Famous And White'.” ​The Huffington Post​, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 26 Oct. 2017,

www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jane-fonda-people-are-listening-now-because-weinstein-victims-

are-famous-and-white_us_59f1e023e4b043885915a337?utm_hp_ref=jane-fonda.

Staff, Los Angeles Times. “The L.A. Riots: 25 Years Later.” ​Los Angeles Times​, Los Angeles

Times, timelines.latimes.com/los-angeles-riots/.

Founding, Fathers. ​The Bill of Rights​.

www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html.