When viewing this film or even teaching the unit on Equality and Human Rights I am usually met with the same sentiment: "Things are better now; people aren't so racist." And my response is always the same: prove it.
Racism and discrimination may not seem to be as prevalent today as it was during the Civil Rights movement, but that does not mean it does not currently exist. The more overt and direct racism historically represented in To Kill a Mockingbird, A Raisin in the Sun, "Recitatif," and Black Like Me may seem outdated, but racism still lies dormant and if you really look hard enough, you may be able to find it hidden in the recesses of people's minds, lurking in the loopholes of our justice system, and whispered in hallways. After watching the documentary, The Trials of Darryl Hunt, we can see the obvious proof that we may not have advanced as far as we think we have in eradicating racism and prejudice.
Larry Little, the Alderman who organized the Darryl Hunt Defense Committee spoke very eloquently about the circumstances surrounding Hunt's wrongful conviction. Read each statement below:
"It's like a little old man trying to move a mountain with a shovel ... but you try because if you don't you die."
"Racism is more powerful than facts because racism is illogical and it is emotional and therefore, facts don't matter."
Choose one of the statements above. Interpret and analyze its meaning. How does it apply to the film? How does it relate to the world at large? Do you agree or disagree with his beliefs and why? If you could sum up your reaction to the film in one "quotable statement" to a journalist asking for your opinion, what statement would you make?
For further information about recent injustices, you may read about one or more of the cases listed below.
1997 - Abner Louima
1999 - Amadou Diallo
2006 - Jena Six (Click here for audio news)
2006 - Sean Bell
"Even after his repeated wrongful convictions and losses in the appellate system, Darryl remained prayful and never angry. I cannot say as much for myself. I was angry at the beginning and am still angry that all this happened, and I am angry that we still have a capital punishment system that cannot be fair." - Mark Rabil, Hunt's defense attorney
27 comments:
"Racism is more powerful than facts because racism is illogical and it is emotional and therefore, facts don't matter," which was said by Larry Litte, can be interpreted in a more literal sense. Darryl was committed of a crime that he did not participate in, but was in jail for almost 20 years. Even after DNA evidence proved his innocence, the prosecutors still wanted to find ways to link Darryl to the crime.
I feel that since the trials of Darryl Hunt had been going on for so long, the side of the defense was the only side that still bothered to put up a fight. The prosectution side of the case kept saying the same things over and over, saying that Darryl participated in the crime, which was not true. They were so blinded by what the statistics show that they could not set an innocent man free.
After watching the documentary I had only one thought in my head. I realized that instead of accepting the actual facts - the fact that a mistake was made - people decide to stay ignorant. People do not want to believe that they were so wrong for so long, they want to keep themselves in the dark and they never want to swallow their pride. Racism to me is pure ignorance. It always has been and it always will.
"It's like a little old man trying to move a mountain with a shovel ... but you try because if you don't you die." simply means that he is faced with a seemingly impossible task and must some how try to accomplish it. This quote relates directly to the trial in the sense that Daryll Hunt has just as much strength to move a mountain as he does to persuade his peers that he is innocent. Daryll Hunt has absolutely no say in the outcome of the trial but the quote suggests that he has to give it his best. Even if his best is not enough he atleast needs to try, just to see what will happen. Odds are at first that he will not be able to "move the mountain" but atleast his effort will show he has pride.
The world constantly faces prejudice and it is gradually getting worse. There are still people who think that their race is better than another and will treat other "inferior" races negatively. Even today blacks are usually faced with the task to "move a mountain". In a town like ours anytime there is a problem, it is always the black kids that are presumed to be the cause of the problem. Daryll Hunt is not the only who is presumed guilty automatically because he is black. There are probably cases right now that are just like Daryll's except maybe not as vast as his.
I agree with this quote because in a time like Daryll Hunt's and even today racism continues to grow and is a constant issue. Anyone who is faced with an obstacle like Daryll's case has to atleast try and put up a fight like he did. Had Daryll not put up a fight he would have stood less a chance than he already did.
My reaction to this film was "Never give up. You never know what will happen." Daryll showed me that even when all odds are against you you still need to keep pressing foward. I can relate this to Atticus and Drummond from my most recent essay. Atticus and Drummond may have been in a different standpoint but still faced a similar problem. All three of these men fought to the end and eventually good results came along to each of them. It is almost like a sports game. This year our football team had to play Seton Hall Prep, one of the best teams in the state. I knew we would probably lose despite how hard we may have prepared or played. The most important thing is that we kept fighting to the end. Just like Daryll did for 19 some odd years. Even if you lose you just need to keep your head up and have some pride. Daryll Hunt has taught me a lesson that even if you know you will probably lose, you still need to give it your best shot. You never know what may happen.
In the documentary, Trials of Darryl Hunt, we see Hunt repeatedly get cold hard evidence of his innocence. However, we see Larry King say "Racism is more powerful than facts because racism is illogical and it is emotional and therefore, facts don't matter." This wise man is bringing the attention that when you're racist, the feeling does not come for reason. It is just something you have been trained to feel. It does not concern you that you are wrong as long as you think the way society does about a certain group. Of course this is proven over and over again in Hunt's trial. The man had no connections to a far fetched suspect and he refused to falsely incriminate a friend. The police were offering Hunt a bribe to support Sam Mitchel's, his friend, guiltiness. So the white police saw it fit to throw him in jail instead. The fake identification came from another black man, John Gray, so neither him or his friend had anything to do with the tragedy. Gray even admitted in the court system that he didn't mention Mitchel's name for any particular reason. That disproved the authority's ridiculous idea that it was a tip off to them.
The prosecution would not give up so easily though; that would be logical. They found a crazy crack head to stated that she saw Hunt rape and kill Ms. Skypes. When put onto the stand, she openly denied these ideas against Darryl Hunt. The prosecution also resort to leaving evidence supporting Hunt's argument in the shadows. In there minds there is only one verdict here and they will do anything it takes to get there. Sure, the forensics of sperm could prove it to not being Hunt's, but then that would be fair. Racism is supreme and the judicial scale is weighted.
Darryl Hunt was freed in 2003, but he is not free. No one is free our prejudiced society and system of law. Sean Bell, a black man, was kill in 2006 by five police officers. They thought he had a gun so they fired upon him. Total bullet count was fifty and one officer actually reload his gun to take more shots. Mr. Bell was a responsible and was an unemployed electrician at the time. Obviously he had a degree which means he is not some kind of street trash. The officer were only charged for manslaughter at worst! They chose to pull the trigger and end the life of Sean Bell. That is no accident, but the worst part of the trial is that they were not even found guilty on these understatements. This public display of stupid is just too much anyone to accept or even consider how it happened. (email: nicocoup@msn.com)
"It's like the little old man trying to move the mountain with a shovel...But you try because if you don't you die". Thi quote seems to resonate with me the most because it really sums what I think the movie is about. In the movie Darryl has to try and overcome some extremely impossible challenges, but he still tries. Even when there was indisputable evidence that he was innocent, the state still found a way to keep him in jail for a long time after the dna evidence proved him not guilty. He eventually gets free but this only proves that if you continue to try, even the impossible can become possible. If I were being interviewed and asked to summarize the movie I would say ," I think the little old man found a bigger shovel." I would say this because at the end of it all darryl and his supporters won and received (very little) compensation. Everything eventually went their way after decades of struggling against the government.
"Racism is more powerful than facts because racism is illogical and it is emotional and therefore, facts don't matter," says Larry Little. His quote perfectly fits the injustices shown in the film. There are instances after instances where solid evidence, such as DNA tests, could have been used to prove Darryl Hunt innocent. The prosecuting attorneys did not tell the defense about any of this important evidence and got rid of it. The prosecuting attorney of the 2nd trial told the story of what happened, manipulating the jury's emotions, without using a single piece of evidence. Later, even after it had been proved through DNA testing that Darryl was not involved in the rape or murder, Deborah Sykes' mother still insisted that Darryl was the one who committed the crime. I think Little's statement applies to the world at large because racism is based off no facts at all and therefore must be so intensely believed that nothing else can change a person's view. One situation that his quote can relate to is the criminal profiling that is occurring in Arizona dealing with the 'reasonable suspicion' that anyone who looked like an illegal immigrant can be pulled over and asked for their citizenship papers. I agree with his beliefs because being a hormonal teenager, understand that emotions take over your logical thinking, and this is the case for racism. I can tell myself a hundred times that it's just hormones but I still want to strangle my sister. No matter what is proven to people they still will not change their opinions. If I could sum up my reaction to the film I would say, "The injustices shown in the film are clearly perplexing to all viewers yet when dealing with similar situations in real life, we find no harm in them"
rugbynbailey@aol.com
The quote "racism is more powerful than facts because racism is illogical and it is emotional and therefore, facts don't matter," is very true, especially when talking about the Darryl Hunt case. Like Ashley said, even after there was DNA proof of Hunt’s innocence, many still wanted to believe he was guilty. I think that once a black person, or any person of minority in this country is charged with a serious crime like murder and rape, that the racial question is still a hugs issue. Even if not trying to discriminate, even trying not to be bias, everyone still is, even just a little. Since juries even now are mostly white, just being a jury member who is un-bias is a huge challenge. I don’t think that people really thought Darryl was guilty, even when having proof that he was not guilty, they just had a suspect already and didn’t want to have another suspect to find, or them to be wrong. I think racism is better than it was during the civil rights movement, but it is definitely still here, it will always be, at some level.
"Racism is more powerful than facts because racism is illogical and it is emotional and therefore, facts don't matter."
Racism cannot be explained by logic because it is emotions toward your race. Facts cannot affect emotions. To racism, its not exactly about your skin. In fact, to racism your skin is a criminal record. All the bad deeds about your race are shown on it, all the stereotypes. So no facts can be seen about the person, only the interpretations of the skin tone.
The police did not want to look deeper into Darryl's case because they think they see Darryl's guilt on his skin, they think because he is black he did rape Skyes. Because thats what they think all black men do.
Everyone in the world looks at skin like a criminal record. EVERYONE.
It's always the media, The media is what blows up everything including racism, that might be why racism is still around and still the way it is. Racism is only discouraged, it is completely fine to the justice system, since they are the ones guilty of it as well.
During the time of Hunt’s wrongful conviction, Little stated, "Racism is more powerful than facts because racism is illogical and it is emotional and therefore, facts don't matter." In any given scenario, it is not about how much brain power and intellectual thought transpires at the time, it is about the personal thoughts and emotions that are associated with the circumstances. When it comes down to it, the final decision in many instances rests with a person’s judgment based on feelings rather than on logical evidence. Mrs. Jefferson, Debbie Sykes’ mother, chooses to believe throughout the rest of her life that Darryl is guilty, even though science and DNA tests point to Willard Brown. She feels that Hunt is the offender, the black murderer who raped her daughter, and he must suffer every punishment possible. Also, when 11 white males were selected for the jury in Darryl’s trial, most of the rulings were rooted in their political racist views. Larry Little’s statements sum up these common occurrences in the world. I concur with what he says; every personal opinion is always fueled by some predisposition.
There was a plethora of inspirational happenings making it difficult to sum up the essence in one quotable statement; however, the gist of the story is that “Someone is always listening and that time will cure itself [problem,] no matter how long the wait.”
I agree with Danny’s thoughts that “Even if you lose you just need to keep your head up and have some pride. Darryl Hunt has taught me lessons like even if you know you will probably lose, you still need to give it your best shot. You never know what may happen.” Although Darryl lost 20 years of his life, he gained recognition in serving as a role model for others to follow if they ever are in the same boat. He became a married man, and can be considered a hero who fought unnoticeably, waiting for his day of exoneration.
e.e.butler@comcast.net
In the documentary, The Trials of Darryl Hunt, Larry Little said, "Racism is more powerful than facts because racism is illogical and it is emotional and therefore, facts don't matter." As Lizzy said before, in any situation you are in, it doesn't depend on how much information you know about the case. It all depends on the emotions and personal thoughts you have and also the proven evidence that was found. I also agree with how Lizzy said that the end results in a trial like this, usually ends up on how a person feels. Even if there was DNA evidence that it wasn't Darryl Hunt, Debbie still thought and believed it was Darryl. I think it was because she didn't want to actually say she was wrong after all these years.
To sum up my reaction of this documentary, it would be what Charlotte said. She said that, "It's always the media. - the ones guilty of it as well." This statement is true, and is the reason why so many cases get all fired up. It's because of the media. Some of what the media says is false. You need to know the actual facts and evidence of a certain case.
"Racism is more powerful than facts because racism is illogical and it is emotional and therefore, facts don't matter."
Others being racist towards you is going to effect the way you carry yourself and think about your race as well as think of that person differently, so strict facts about your race are over powered by the hatred of others. This quote is very true, and I agree with Rachael when she states that everyone is a little bit racist. The people dealing with the case immediately thought Hunt was guilty because of his race. Once the DNA tests were done and Darryl was ALMOST stated "not guilty" he was still on trial because he could have been an accomplice in the murder. Even though this was not true, they did not believe him because of his race. The facts were there, but to the jury and the court him being a black man means he could have been a part. This proves that racism plays a role in everyones lifestyle.
syd1194@aol.com
Larry Little states in the documentary film The Trials of Daryl Hunt, “Racism is more powerful than facts because racism is illogical and it is emotional and therefore, facts don’t matter.” This is a very powerful quote stated by Larry Little, and what he said is true. When Larry Little states that quote he is trying to say that no matter how many facts you have, racism is still more powerful, because you cannot control the way one feels. This quote relates very well to the injustice system in the Daryl Hunt’s trial. Even though the DNA testing proved that the sperm was from Willard Brown, people still believed that Daryl Hunt committed the crime. Also Willard Brown even admitted that he killed Debbie Sykes and the mother still believed that Daryl was the murder of her daughter. She has been living so long thinking that Daryl Hunt is the murder , and the police department was convinced as well, that they where so caught up in their own lie. That shows how racism is very powerful and has a huge impact in the world today.
There has been many cases throughout the world where black men and women were accused for committing a crime, because of their race. Racism affects people’s life every day, because it is that powerful. For example, Amadou Diallo was shot at by NY police officers, because they believed that he was armed and pulling out his gun when but he was really puling out identification. This is very sad, because of the racial issues that goes on in everyday society people’s lives are on the line such as Amadou Diallo. Amadou was really shot because the cops where prejudice towards black people and racial. Racism does not only affect a person in criminal charges, but in jobs, and socially.
I agree with Little 100% because it is true, because facts do not stand a chance against the emotion of racism. I agree with Ashley because racism is ignorance, and that is all it ever will be. I also like Danny’s response because victims of racism have to keep their head up high, and have pride. Daryl has been doing that for 19 years in jail. Not once did he ever make a rude remark, and he was calm about the whole situation. Even though Debbie Sykes mother believed that Daryl committed the crime, his response was very calm, and he is praying for her family. Daryl has been strong the whole way, and therefore, good has come to him.
biancasanabria13@hotmail.com
Upon watching the documentary, The Trials of Darryl Hunt, I was greatly affected when Larry Little described Darryl Hunt's case by saying: "it's like a little old man trying to move a mountain with a shovel...but you try because if you don't you die." This paints a picture of a man - weakened by years of labor, trying to move the unmovable. To me, the old man is representative of the black man because of the many years he has spent trying to obtain equality, and the mountain refers to the people ushered into racism who refuse to see through unprejudiced eyes, or "move" from what they'd always believed. The old man continues to try moving the mountain because, otherwise, he will die. This pertains to Darryl's case because if he does not fight, he loses his freedom, his wife, and the rest of his life to a wrongful imprisonment.
This also applies to the rest of the world; for many of those in which racism resides, there is a refusal to change, and an automatic bias against those different from themselves. It is exactly as Charlotte earlier stated: "Everyone in the world looks at skin like a criminal record. EVERYONE." This inequality will never fully be diminished until the stereotypes have been abandoned; the teachings of hate terminated.
In the documentary that we watched, The Trials of Darryl Hunt, Larry Little said, "It's like a little old man trying to move a mountain with a shovel...but you try because if you don't you die." This quote, to me, expresses the theme of this documentary. Basically, what Larry Little was saying was that he had no choice but to try and try again because he would be given the death penalty, without getting the chance to prove his innocence once and for all. The police and court system were so stubborn to the point where the could have killed an innocent man. All the evidence that proved Darryl wrong was right in front of the judge and the lawywers, yet they still decided that Darryl Hunt was associated with the crime. Sometimes people will do whatever they can to not be embarassed by being proven wrong. Instead of wasting about 20 years of Darryl's life, the police could have just accepted their fault and it would have saved everyone some time and suffering.
I really enjoyed this documentary because it illustrated the real life injustices in our society, insteatd of just reading about it in a book. I completely agree with Larry's statement that if Darryl did not continously send appeals that he would have died. The appeals granted him some more time and the public began to understand that their prejudice was wrong. So if Darryl just took his conviction, he would be dead and would not live to tell his story of injustice.
My reaction to this documentary sumed up in one statement would be that racism is still very prevalent in our society, so much so that it is like a spreading disease. In the hallways at school, if we here one person saw a racist joke, we might start to believe that it is okay if we say it even if you do not believe you are racist. By saying those jokes your mind set might begin to change and you might start to develop the mind of a racist and continue to make those racist and hurtful comments. So when one person hears the racist comment, another will repeat it, and then another person will repeat it. The cycle will continue until someone completely puts a stop to it which I believe will take a lot of effort.
kristie.varghese@gmail.com
In the documentary about Darryl Hunt, Larry Little said, "Racism is more powerful than facts because racism is illogical and it is emotional and therefore, facts don't matter." Truer words could not be said. In the film, it obviously applies to the way the evidence proving Darryl's innocence was completely overlooked and disregarded, and the way he was still seen as guilty even though there was no proof. It is almost comical to think that Darryl was still held as possibly guilty even after the DNA test proved he was innocent. It was actually amusing when the detective being questioned said that Darryl (number four on the lineup) was the number one suspect, instead of numbers one and four having been picked. In the world, this is probably the most common form of racism found. You can tell a racist all the good things about a race, or show them certain people who have beaten the stereotypes, and yet, the racist will not care. They will simply forget or put aside the evidence right in front of their eyes because they are so convinced that this race behaves a certain way, that in the racist's eyes, everyone from that race acts that way, no matter how they truly act. My reaction to the film would have to be summed in the quote, "People with hate in their hearts see nothing but garbage, no matter how beautiful the object they are seeing is."
The statement I chose is "Racism is more powerful than facts because racism is illogical and it is emotional and therefore, facts don't matter." This quote means that in some peoples lives they make racist jokes based on "facts" they have heard in their past. It really does make a huge difference to the person being made fun of on a emotional standpoint that can make people crumble and fall.
This quote applies to the movie because they had very little to none evidence or fact against darryl hunt but they still found him guilty with nothing against him. In the perspective of Mr. Hunt that is demoralyzing emotionally and that he with stood 20 years of that nonsense against him.
I completely agree with the quote because some people just think its a joke but it can brake a person so quickley. It annoys me that just because they read something in a book or saw it in a movie they think it applies to everyone. of that race so they think its fact.
A quote that I can create right now about the movie is that Injustice will be the death of the innocent.
Vathomas921@gmail.com
Larry Little, the Alderman who organized the Darryl Hunt Defense Committee stated, “It's like a little old man trying to move a mountain with a shovel ... but you try because if you don't you die." This quote can be applied to things in life- more so a “David and Goliath” situation. When thinking about it, the white man has support, like a mountain (as stated by Little), but the old man is the black race. The Caucasian race has gone into many unknown and exotic areas and has “colonized” it. The white race is very superior. This country claims to be so diverse and ethnically tolerant; although it is not a lie, people must admit that the white man rules the world. They have traveled to countries, as stated before, and exploited their resources and people. This quote has everything to do with the trial. Here is the scenario: A black man gets charged for raping and killing a white “rose”. He denies it, saying that he was not even in the crime scene. But they convict him anyways. No matter how many times he denied the claims put on him, no matter the evidence given contradicting the claims, he is held in jail for twenty GOOD years. Because he is like David or the old man, he cannot do anything to move Goliath or the mountain. But he is persistent, he, and other men like Larry Little, raised money to get a better investigation. Darryl Hunt had many options. He could have gotten a shorter sentence or have gotten paid, but if he gave in to the bribery; the white race would win yet another unfair battle. Think about it: if he admitted to doing a crime that he did not commit, it would follow him everywhere. He could not get a job if he applied, therefore could not pay his bills and support his family; what kind of life is that? Darryl Hunt tries to prove his innocence, not just for himself, but for other cases just like his. He had to make sure that another HUMAN being does not face twenty years for a crime that he or she did not commit just for race.
I completely agree with Little’s views. Believe it or not, that is how I think. I feel like the black race and every other minority is in some degree the old man trying to move a mountain. Because of the fact that these other races are minorities, they are NOT well-equipped. The old man tries to move a mountain with a shovel. That is physically impossible! A tiny plastic shovel can NOT move a mountain that probably weighs tons.
If I could sum up my reaction to the documentary, it would be “mad as hell”, pissed off, annoyed. To think that a person, in this country of “freedom” cannot be treated like a mere human being really irritates me.
eo95@ymail.com
I agree with Larry Little when he said "Racism is more powerful than facts because racism is illogical and it is emotional and therefore, facts don't matter."
What he meant is that emotions are very strong. Peoples emotions can cause them to do unthinkable things. Debra's mother still believed that Darryl was guilty after the DNA tests proved that he was innocent. She could not believe that he is innocent because she is still hurting over the death of her daughter. Earlier in the in the documentary, prosecutors did not even use facts to incriminate Darryl. One of the prosecutors asked the jury to imagine what it would have been like to be Debra as she was raped and murdered by Darryl and what she may have been thinking. This is to picture in your mind but people can easily picture Darryl doing this when the prosecution describes it. The prosecution played with peoples emotions which caused them to abandon the facts.
This relates to racism in the world today. People who are racist believe deep down that they are better then others just because of their skin. Because they truly believe this, any amount of evidence will not change their mind. Summing up this whole film, I would simply say injustice. Everything about this trial was unfair.
"It's like a little old man trying to move a mountain with a shovel...but you try because if you don't you die", by Larry Little is a basic interpretation of the trials of Darryl Hunt. Hunt a young innocent black man in Winston-Salem, North Carolina was wrongfully convicted of raping and murdering a white woman 3 times. Many would ask why 3 times. Darryl Hnt had to use everything he had to try to battle the justice system, and everyone who didn't believe him or want to believe him. To him that could have felt like a mountain of problems that he had to try to convince that he was innocent with little support; like a shovel trying to move a mountain. Some may ask why didn't he just give up after a while. Well if Darryl gave up he would end up having to spen d the rest of his life in jail, which is basically like death. If he hadn't tried and tried so hard to clear his name he'd be stuck in jail still for the rest of his life. In society in general alot of times when minorites are accused of crimes it usually becomes minorites against everyone else, which alot of times can be translated to a little old man trying to move a mountain with a shovel. If you don't fight these instices you'll just lay back and die. I agree with this quote, because I see it happen in everyday society all the time. It becomes a sorta us against them kind of case. For instance in the case of O.J. Simpson my mom tells me all the time how that was a case the seperated races. In general white people wanted him guilty and black people wanted him innocent, and thats just the way it was. My quote for this would be, Being innocent is no longer enough for you to be innocent.
“Racism is more powerful than facts because racism is illogical and it is emotional and therefore, facts don’t matter.” This quote was stated by Larry Little in the documentary of Darryl Hunt. I agree with Bianca when she states the meaning of this quote. Even though in the case of Darryl Hunt, there were so many peices of the puzzle that showed to everyone that the murder of Debbie Sykes was not Darryl Hunt so many people still kept pushing to show that it was in deed him. No one can change someone's thoughts about a certain race. This is exactly what happened in Darryl's case. The DNA sample came back and showed that the sperm was not his, but even wiht this big evidence Debbie's mother still kept pushing on the thought that it was in deed Mr. Hunt. No one that was racist even gave Darryl a chance to prove to everyone that it was not him. Willard Brown even admitted to everyone that it was him who had killed Debbie. Debbie's mother still believed deep inside it was Darryl.
This quote related to the world at large because sadly this is not the only occurence of racism affecting a case. Not only does this racism affect court cases, but it also affects job as well. There are many occurances where it comes down to a white man being selected for the job over a black man. The employers may tell the public it was a decision based upon the work ethic, but in deed it may very likely be a decision based on race. This is very sad because there are many intelligent African Americans that I have seen being denied a job due to the color of their skin.
I agree with Little because it is completely true. Racism is contantly being put at the top of why people are treated so differently. I agree with Bianca and Danny when they stated that Darryl was keeping calm all throughout the case. He was put in jail for 19 years because of a false accusation against him. He never said anything rude to anyone. Instead i beleive that his attitude was so much better while he was in jail for so long rather than when he was in jail for a shorter amount of time. I for one know that if I was put in that situation I would not have kept cool. I would have been so angry at Debbie's mom and the entire Judicial system for letting such a horrible mistake occur. I would place the blame on everyone involved. But Darrly have gone through all of this he did not once put the blame on anyone. He even stated to Mrs. Sykes that she was always in his prayers. This just shows how good of a man he was.
I agree with Efe when she says that she would sum up the reaction to the film as"mad as hell". I could not imagine the hell Darryl was put through for 19 years in jail. He was not the murder and just watching the film got me upset enough, I could not even imagine putting myself in Darryl's shoes.
ecanancy@hotmail.com
Racism is very powerful and can hurt somebody emotionally, which reminds me of another quote, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” I know that this is a very controversial quote but I do believe that if somebody is making fun of you and/or being raciest to you, just ignore it. There are always exceptions although, like in the case of Darryl Hunt. He was on trial because the jury was racist towards him, and his life was on the line. He spent 20 years in jail, because of such ignorance prejudicial people. Darryl Hunt kept his cool; he tried not to get mad, and never showed it.
"Racism is more powerful than facts because racism is illogical and it is emotional and therefore, facts don't matter." The quote shows how while involved with the court system, racism can hurt you. Since the jury is a majority vote, and they are all racist, that is when “words” can hurt you. The jury was racist because, they were so ignorant even after the DNA showed that Darryl Hunt did not commit the murder, they continued to believe that it was him. That is pure ignorance, which resembles racism.
This quote means, that racism is the worst kind of discrimination. It is worse than being made fun of, or looked down upon because of something else. It says that facts do not matter, because people would judge you off your race before they even look at the facts.
A statement that I would like to say to a journalist is, “Would the outcome of this trial be the same if Darryl Hunt was white?”
joepedo@ymail.com
"Racism is more powerful than facts because racism is illogical and it is emotional and therefore, facts don't matter."
Larry Little was talking about how when it comes to racism, nothing else matters. As long as people have one specific view engraved into their brains, it would take the moving of mountains just to change their perspective. I agree with everything that Larry Little says because when he speaks, he uses logic. Even he stated that racism is more powerful than logic, does not make it right. More often than not, racism will beat out logic, but that does not mean that one should give up hope and stop fighting. The people who keep fighting for what is right are the people who will succeed, those shown in the many trials Darryl had to face. It is remarkable the composure that Darryl had shown throughout all of his trials. Yes he became sad, who would not? But at the same time he never got angry even when Debbie Sykes' mother still thought he did it after there was no DNA evidence. It takes an unbelievable amount of self-control to do this, and Darryl exhibits this on numerouos occassions. Sometimes, when it comes down to it, justice is not neccessarily about catching the person who did it, it's about putting a person behind bars.
"It's like a little old man trying to move a mountain with a shovel ... but you try because if you don't you die."
Racism is still very alive today and many people unfortunately are racist. I believe that it is a lot better to accept everyone and give everyone a fair chance. By now we should all accept each other but thats not how it always is.
This quote has to do with the film because even thought the people representing Derryl Hunt knew that defending him was going to be close to impossible, they still tried their hardest because if they did not, he could have died. He was falsely accused for the rape and murder and he needed support and defense even though he himself knew that the end might be near for him.
In general, today many non Caucasian people feel like, and to some extent do not have equal rights. Even though they know it, they still try to make the best of their lives and try their hardest. For example, look at our president today. Our President is African American and the reason he is so successful is because he put forth and effort like no other. Most other African Americans might have thought that it was impossible for him to become President, but with his tremendous amount of effort, he achieved the almost impossible.
I believe that too many people are still racist and in situations like Derryl Hunt's case it's not fair. I wish that he had been given a more fair chance from the start but unfortunately he was not.
Grlzluvemplaya1@aim.com
Larry littles states,"Its like a little old man trying to move a mountian with a shovel..but you try because if you don't you die". My analyze of this quote first made me think of this old man which in this trial represented Darryl. I believe "old man" symbolized worn out and "beaten" by society in Darryl's case. Darryl was worn out with no one for twenty years hearing his pleas for his innocence, and the white man literally beat the spirit out of Darryl who slowly was rotting away for a crime he didn't committ. I believe that the shovel or the tool represented Darryl's voice and the evidence/ or lack of it which proved his innoncent. Darryl's obvious innocence and his voice weren't enough to overthrow someone that is even bigger than just one trial. The bigger picture or the mountian represented the way person think and how we are trained to see. Take for an example if all people were born up on knowing what race they are accompanied with and which race other individuals "belong to" it stops us all from processing that we are all united and one not separate entities. This mountian that the old man was trying to get rid of/destroy is simply to much to expect from one person and one shovel for a mountian with it's great mass requires the shovels of many. I do agree with Larry's belief for if Darryl didn't try he would have died. If Darryl had given in to the "deals" of pleading guilty I believe the "justice system" would have made him pay for the crime with even greater costs then just life in prison, for like efe states he killed a "white rose". One quotable statement to sum up my feelings would have to be: No one individual can lift a couple of decades worth of burdens, for it is the mentality of millions that which is encaged in these mountians.
I just wanted to say that I love sai's quote "People with hate in their hearts see nothing but garbage, no matter how beautiful the object they are seeing is." and I couldn't find anything more true.
In the documentary The Trials of Darryl Hunt, Larry Little states, "Racism is more powerful than facts because racism is illogical and it is emotional and therefore, facts don't matter." Larry is trying to say that sometimes people disregard the facts. Certain racist views are instilled in people and at times even with the evidence proving that something is not true, people are emotionally attached believing that it is true due to racism. In the documentary, Darryl hunt took a DNA test and the result said that he had not committed the crime. Even with this evidence the trial proceeded because the people could not believe this man was free after all these years, partly because he is black. Trials like this one go on all over the world. There are many innocent people being locked up because of the racism and discrimination that exist in society. This quote by Larry completely sums up the way that I feel about this case and life in general. The world is full of injustices that take place everyday because of the narrow minded people in it.
jazzyjass@verizon.net
"Racism is more powerful than facts because racism is illogical and it is emotional and therefore, facts don't matter."
This quote relates to the documentary, The Trials of Darryl Hunt since the DNA evidence should have cleared the defendant as he was completely innocent of the crime. The jury however felt that Darryl Hunt was involved somehow with the murder although there was proof in which he did not commit the crime. In todays society prejudice is not as prevalent as it was during the time of The Trials of Darryl Hunt. Prejudice however does still exist as it is just more subtle. I agree with this quote because of the racial profiling i've witnessed from the past and the present. To me we as people have dug ourselves into so deep of a hole with all of the prejudice and racism we face and have faced in the past. This is sad for the fact that if we at once just decided to look past everyones faults and differences problems like The Trials of Darryl Hunt might not have even taken place, but that's life.
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