To Kill a Mockingbird and its Relevance to Michael Jackson Pt3

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Chapter 13

“In the beginning its buildings [Maycomb] were solid. Its court-house proud, its streets graciously wide. Maycomb’s proportion of professional people ran high…”

 

A fine and upstanding town.

Chapter 15

 

This chapter seems relevant to Michael Jackson for the following reasons:

• The most senior state officers had formed an opinion of the innocence/guilt of Tom Robinson before the evidence was heard in a court of law. Like wise it would seem that the investigating officers had formed an opinion prior to the trial of the Michael Jackson case.

 

[Source:vindicationformj]

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• In Michael’s trial the tape recording of the interview with Gavin and the officers showed that they weren’t balanced but biased. At the commencement of the interview that sheriffs said “that they would try their best to make a case”, they further said that “Michael Jackson had done wrong”.
• There was no impartiality in their investigation
• Shouldn’t all criminal investigations be done objectively, it is for the Court to determine guilt

 

[Source: jacksonaktak]

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• Atticus’ friends and contemporaries believed that he should not have taken the case, and attempted to influence him prior to the Grand Jury hearing.
• Atticus, like Thomas Mesereau was unswayed by media/public opinion, there were both steadfast in their duty to defend their clients, having carefully considered the prosecution evidence.
• “This case will be won in the courtroom and not through ‘leaks’ in the media. When he has his day in court, Michael Jackson will be acquitted and vindicated.” Thomas Mesereau
• Both Atticus and Tom showed themselves as men of principle.

 

[Source: ThomasMesereau]

“The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) interviews attorney Tom Mesereau and explores his life and career during his representation of Entertainer Michael Jackson, prior to the trial in 2005. Thomas A. Mesereau, Jr. is widely recognized as one of the best trial lawyers in the country. He has been selected by his peers as one of “The Best Lawyers in America” and has been listed as one of the “One Hundred Most Influential Attorneys in California” by the Los Angeles Daily Journal. He first gained national attention during a three-week televised preliminary hearing in the Robert Blake murder case. Mr. Mesereau is internationally known for having acquitted music legend Michael Jackson of all counts in a highly publicized trial in Santa Maria, California. Additionally, Mr. Mesereau is widely recognized for his 25 years of pro bono, free legal work for the poor and underrepresented. Mr. Mesereau is a well known presence in the African-American community where he operates a free legal clinic and assists local organizations and churches in drug recovery and youth counseling. He defends at least one death penalty case each year for free in the Deep South. Mr. Mesereau specializes in criminal and civil trials (state and federal).”

 

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[Source: MJ777HealTheWorld]

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[Source: ThomasMesereau]

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Back to the book – Chapter 15

 “There was a knock on the front door…”

 

Mr Tate [sheriff of Maycomb County and Atticus’ friend] said “I don’t look for trouble, but I can’t guarantee there won’t be any…” There was concern about whether the Old Sarum bunch and what they would do. Mr Tate was seeking a change of venue.

Mr Link Deas said to Atticus, “You’ve got everything to lose from this Atticus. I mean everything.”

“There was a murmur among the group of men, made more ominous when Atticus moved back to the bottom front step and the men drew nearer to him.”

 

Jem disturbs the group’s activities when he comments that there was a telephone call for his father, Jem believed that the group of men were after his father.

Scout’s view was that they were men they had know all their lives, “Merchants, in-town farmers; Dr Reynolds was there; so was Mr Avery.”

Dr Reynolds had brought Jem and Scout into the world and was a family friend; Mr Avery was a neighbour.

Atticus informed the children that there were no mobs in Maycomb but these men were their friends.

Jem expressed to his sister that he was scared, and that his aunt was have a go at Atticus for defending Tom Robinson.

Thus the more sophisticated members of Maycombe society had believed Tom Robinson was guilty.

The following day to the above event was Sunday. Outside the church Scout says,

“I saw Atticus standing in the yard with another knot of men. Mr Heck Tate was present, I wondered if he had seen the light. He never went to church. Even Mr Underwood was there, Mr Underwood had no use for any organization but Maycomb Tribune, of which he was the sole owner, editor, and printer. His days were spent at his linotype, where he refreshed himself occasionally from ever-present gallon jug of cherry wine. He rarely gathered news; people brought it to him. It was said that he made up every edition of the Maycomb Tribune out of his own head and wrote it down on the linotype. This was believable. Something must have been up to haul Mr Underwood out.”

Scout said that all Mr Underwood needed to do to cover the court house news was to look outside his upstairs window and his home/the Tribune was in close proximity to the court house.

Mr Underwood was Maycomb’s reporter and Atticus’s friend.

That evening, the children intervened to diffuse a situation outside the jail when a number of farm folk (thought to be the poorer members of the community) approached Atticus, asking him to move aside so that they could get to Tom Robinson.

[Source: watchMiniScenes]

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Scout’s comments to Mr. Cummingham, the father of her school friend humanizes him and he disperses the crowd. Thus prior to the court hearing the Maycomb community had made it clear that they doubted Tom Robinson’s innocence.