“Exactly. And since when is marching legally and showing dessent the same thing is throwing trash cans through windows and setting cars on fire? “
The question was, not if some people were ‘throwing trash cans through windows and setting cars on fire,’ but if the defendants were the ones who actually did those things.
Exactly. During his opening statement, the prosecutor actually stated that he had no evidence that these particular individuals participated in any violence.
It appears that he basically wanted the jury to convict based on the fact that each one of them was wearing at least one black-colored article of clothing, and because he (the prosecutor) said they were bad people. He apparently even stated in open court that “guilty beyond reasonable doubt” was not necessary for a conviction, and he was publically corrected by the presiding judge.
In my opinion, ANY fair-minded jury would have reached a not-guilty verdict based on the case presented by the prosecutor.