Word: goetz
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...often, though, the two terms are not so easily distinguished. Many a criminal trial, after all, revolves around precisely that gray area where the two begin to blur. Was Bernhard Goetz just a volatile Everyman, ourselves pushed to the limit, and then beyond? Or was he in fact an aberration? Often, besides, eccentrics may simply be weirdos in possession of a VIP pass, people * rich enough or powerful enough to live above convention, amoral as Greek gods. Elvis Presley could afford to pump bullets into silhouettes of humans and never count the cost. Lesser mortals, however, must find another kind...
...three-month trial came to be considered a litmus test of racial justice in New York. Since the June acquittal of Bernhard Goetz on all but a minor count for his subway attack on four black youths, many of New York's black leaders have been claiming that the city is not a place where blacks can expect equal justice. The atmosphere inside the Howard Beach courtroom mirrored the racial polarization that they say is afflicting the city. A largely black audience packed one side of the courtroom, with Jean Griffith, the victim's mother, at the center...
Aside from the response of outspoken spectators, reaction to last week's verdict was restrained, almost relieved, because the black community had feared that the defendants would, like Goetz, be acquitted of all major charges. As it turned out, however, three youths face up to 15 years in prison for manslaughter: Jon Lester, 18, Scott Kern, 18, and Jason Ladone, 17. Many of those involved in the trial felt that at least a measure of justice had been meted out. Said Jean Griffith: "God, in the end, did what was right...
...central issues in People v. Bernhard Goetz was whether Goetz had reason to believe the four youths intended to rob him. Five dollars is not pocket change; Goetz would have had to open his wallet to get the bill, leaving himself vulnerable by giving Troy Canty a good look at how much money...
...Goetz decision means that the good guys have finally...