Both the readings for class were about unfair policing and judgement.
In the first story, a police officer spilled soup on a man and his brides feet and then arrested the man for becoming upset about the encounter. They kept him unfairly in jail for two days. When the man’s lawyer came to get him, they punished the lawyer by tying him to a tree in the heat of the day and keeping him out there. They were not scared of the threats the man made trying to say he would tell the press or get them in trouble because they knew no one would believe him and it didn’t matter. The only reason they let him out is because he signed a statement saying he was in the wrong after providing false witness testimonies to persuade him he had no choice.
In the second story, two men were arrested for making a joke about the chairmen. After seeing the joke had been semi misconstrued, the policemen still had no choice but to imprison them, since someone needed to take the punishment for the crime. They even mentioned that they should be grateful for their punishment, as people had been executed for making jokes like that before.
Both of these stories showed how corrupt law enforcement and policemen can be in certain circumstances of power. It can be very unjust and dangerous and happen to nearly anyone, anywhere at a point in time. Both these readings sparked feelings of indignity and anger in me. It is hard to imagine those exact situations happening other than in fiction, but the sad reality is that they do.
