By C. Martin Sterling
Newark, NJ
We are assured that if we are charged with a crime in the “Land of the Free,” we are,
“innocent until proven guilty.”
We are handcuffed and shackled in front of friends, family, and neighbors, though we are,
“innocent until proven guilty.”
We are vilified by the media, for an online eternity, with nothing more than a tiny disclaimer noting that we are,
“innocent until proven guilty.”
We are patted-down, strip-searched, and humiliated by total strangers in unfamiliar settings, but we remain,
“innocent until proven guilty.”
We are allowed fifteen-minute phone calls and get to see family through thick glass, yet we are,
“innocent until proven guilty.”
We lose jobs, have friendships fractured, and end relationships, despite being,
“innocent until proven guilty.”
We are berated, discriminated against, and treated as subhuman, but we are,
“innocent until proven guilty.”
We lose the ability to make decisions for ourselves: when to eat, when to sleep, where to walk, but we are,
“innocent until proven guilty.”
We are only the “accused,” the “charged,” the “detained,” not the “convicted,” so the law says that we are,
“innocent until proven guilty.”
All of this before any judge or jury hands down a verdict. So much for,
“innocent until proven guilty.”