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Essay / The Importance of Resistance to Injustice in Just Mercy
Just Mercy highlights the importance of resistance to injustice. It describes the racism, corruption, and cruelty that exist in America's justice systems and lead to systematic abuse against African Americans. As Bryan Stevenson said, “The opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice. Stevenson stood for the right things, even when some people made mistakes. He stood up for those who were desperate and in need. People who were poor and wrongly accused of something they never did. People will understand how mercy and justice are linked and depend on each other. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayBryan Stevenson worked to free people from wrongful imprisonment, fought for their rights, and helped them get justice. Bryan Stevenson and his friend Eva Ansley secured federal funding to create a legal center that could represent people on death row. He worked extensively on death penalty cases in the Southern states and won several victories, which ended executions in those states. Stevenson founded an organization called EJI that was committed to ending racial and economic injustice. He represented those condemned to death. He has worked on numerous cases involving people who were wrongly convicted of a crime they did not commit. These included a case in which prison officials claimed a thirty-nine-year-old black man died of natural causes after being stopped for a traffic violation. His family claimed he was beaten by police and prison officials, who then denied him his asthma inhaler and medication even though he begged for them. People should not violently oppose injustice, as Bryan Stevenson did. People should study injustice more deeply and speak out against it by supporting those on death row. Unusual and cruel punishments were inflicted on African Americans for crimes that were not intended to be the subject of this punishment. The prisons where they were held were the deadliest prisons ever seen. Black Americans were punished for crimes they did not commit. There were six foot high metal cages in one corner that couldn't have been more than four feet by four feet. Bryan Stevenson said he had never seen such small cages before. He said that in one cage was a man in a wheelchair and that the cage was so small that when the guards tried to remove his wheelchair, they could not get him to move. He said he came to this prison to meet Joe and he could hear him crying. Joe was a thirteen-year-old boy with a mental disability. Two older boys convinced him to help them burglarize the house of an older woman who was then brutally raped in her home. Joe admitted helping the boys but denied any involvement in the rape. Despite the lack of evidence against him, Joe was convicted as an adult and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. People should oppose unconstitutionally cruel and unusual punishment, just like Bryan Stevenson did. People can challenge the system to get justice, just as Bryan Stevenson challenged life without parole sentences for juveniles. Media coverage, positive attention and news programs also contributed to the.