This is just weird. State Sen. Malcolm Graham, one of the co-sponsors of North Carolina’s Racial Justice Act, has stepped up to say that he thinks the law is being misapplied in the case of accused cop killer Demetrious Montgomery. As told to WSOC-TV:
“The goal of the act was to make sure if someone was facing execution then they had the opportunity to see whether or not they were being discriminated against based on stats and figures,” Graham said.
But he said in the case of Demetrious Montgomery, he feels the law is not being applied the right way. “Frankly, I think his attorneys are hiding behind this new legislation.” Graham added, “I think it’s being misused. Anytime you kill a public officer, a police officer, I think you ought to face the ultimate penalty.”
Now just take that at face value. Ignore that the actual point of the law as it is designed is to effectively prevent the swift application of capital punishment. Graham is at least saying that in this case — a man accused of shooting two police officers in the back of head — fretting over “racial justice” is beside the point. (It does suggest, however, that Graham may think that black killers of ordinary white citizens comprise an altogether different and lesser class of offenders.)
Be that as it may, Graham said something. Which is more than can be said for Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx — or as far as I know, any member of city council. On Friday there should have been a unified, bipartisan press conference from elected city officials denouncing the ruling.
It hasn’t happened yet. Why?
