As I have said before, it must be exhausting to be a progressive. With so many grievances and so many aggrieved people, not to mention a constellation of issues surfacing every day, it has to be a full-time job staying on the correct side of everything and everyone. That does not mean that the denizens of the Left won’t kill themselves trying to do so.
Ours is an adversarial system of justice, meaning that a person accused of a crime has the right to representation in a court of law. It has its roots in English law, and a great example of it dates back to John Adams, who defended the British soldiers who opened fire on the American colonists during the Boston Massacre. Adams knew he was not making himself popular, but he also believed that justice needed to be served.
It is common knowledge that the antisemitic protesters on college campuses have consisted of professional paid agitators and spoiled, mollycoddled college students. Earlier this month, the police cleared out the protesters at UCLA. Hundreds of people were arrested on May 1 and 2. Prior to that, police had done little other than keep the protesters and counter-protesters separated from one another. Once the protesters were arrested and removed, they entered the legal system, and they needed representation.
Just the News reported that Los Angeles County Supervisor Linsdey P. Horvath motioned the Board of Supervisors to “direct the Los Angeles County Public Defender and Alternate Public Defender to direct resources and services toward the defense of the UCLA students and affiliates that were arrested on the evening of Wednesday, May 1, 2024, and morning of Thursday, May 2, 2024.” She also wants reports on how much assistance the protesters receive and the outcomes of the proceedings.
Technically, anyone who cannot afford a lawyer is entitled to one at no expense. In his comment, Aliya Yousufi, a senior policy coordinator for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, wrote:
Ample evidence has now been provided by mainstream news outlets such as the NY Times and ABC News that these students were not provocateurs of violence and instead were the victims of brutal attacks by outside agitators themselves. Please do not give further insult to injury by denying these students the resources to receive legal representation to competently refute any charges brought against them with regard to these incidents.
But as Toya Fields pointed out in her written comment:
Seriously, a bunch of white fools get arrested and you’re all concerned about them? Public defenders represent folks who can’t afford to hire attorneys. Since when are privileged college kids in that category?
As far as “ample evidence” goes, “ample evidence” exists of the provocative nature of the protesters, as well as of the violence of which they have been capable. One needs to look no further than the pages of PJ Media or uncompromised-source news outlets for proof.
While these people are entitled to legal defense, Fields’ point is well-taken. Whoever financed the paid agitators can also foot the bill for their lawyers. As for the students? Let their parents hire a lawyer. Let the celebrities, faculty, and staff who supported these tantrums raise the funds. For Horvath and others like her, Palestine is the cause célèbre du jour, and leftists can’t resist a good virtue signal.