Catherine Wilkerson MD attempted to give medical aid to a protester rendered unconscious by police at a demonstration in Michigan. For this, she was arrested on felony charges and has refused to cop a plea to a misdemeanor because she believes she did nothing wrong. Her trial starts Nov. 26 and your support is needed.
Last time I checked, a doctor giving medical aid to someone suffering was considered a good thing. Has this changed?
Full details on DefendWilkerson. PSL has an article written by her son.
Sign a petition going to the prosecutor and university dean demanding charges be dropped.
Most states have a law requiring that passerby’s stop and help someone in medical distress. It is usually called the Good Samaritan law. Not to mention her own Hippocratic oath and moral conscience.
I agree that the charges sound (and probably are) absurd. However, I also object to justice being decided by public pressure. There are extreme cases where such pressure may be warranted– for example, when entrenched racism make justice otherwise impossible. But in general, let the justice system do its job. Assuming the prosecutor moves forward, the case will be decided by the facts and the law– not by a vote of the American public. And thank God for that! How many cases could not have received a fair trial if public opinion had a say? Mob Justice (either for or against conviction) is not a precedent I would choose.
In all likelihood, if the prosecutor proceeds, the charges will be laughed out of court. If not, there are plenty of levels of appeals. This would adversely affect the life of a courageous woman– but in the process, put the issue squarely in front of the American people.
Let us never forget that courage has its costs. Standing up for what you believe in entails risks. If it didn’t, it wouldn’t take much courage, and we’d all be doing it.
Well, you say no public pressure, then say if it’s appealed, the issue will be in front of the public. After she has to pay probably $20-50,000 in legal fees.
So, I say, start now and don’t wait. It’s not a given this will be thrown out of court, but if the judge and prosecutor know the case has media attention, then they will, um, be paying more attention to what they’re doing. (And public pressure is hardly mob justice, something which has a connotation of violence and guns.)
Public pressure and media attention have already made a huge difference in the case of the Jena 6.
When I say it would be in front of the public, I mean that SHE would be influencing US– not the other way around.
We have influence (and should exert that influence) over the laws that are passed or repealed. But, once passed, enforcement is not up to us. If it were, vigilantism would be an acceptable practice.
Of course it’s wrong for the justice system to wrongfully convict someone. But there’s a greater wrong in leaving justice in the hands of the public, which is rarely qualified to dispense it.