As NewsBusters has been reporting the past 24 hours, the media have been having a hard time hiding their disappointment about the George Zimmerman verdict.
Showing what side she's on in this debate, CNN's Candy Crowley on Sunday's State of the Union asked Governor Pat Quinn (D-Ill.), "Do you think that the American justice system is innately racist?" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
CANDY CROWLEY: Governor Quinn let me -- I'm going to give you a chance to respond to Governor Perry on trying to get jobs out of Illinois and into Texas. But first, I do want to talk to you about the Zimmerman verdict. You have seen that in your state there are demonstrations in Chicago and perhaps elsewhere. This is also a city that's no stranger to gun violence. Is there a national implication to this verdict?
GOVERNOR PAT QUINN (D-ILLINOIS): Well, I think there is. It's a tragic episode. I agree with Trayvon Martin's father that his heart is broken. My heart is broken. And our faith is not broken, as Mr. Martin said. It's important that we really look at this stand your ground law. I don't think that's a good law. We don't have it in Illinois, and we don't want it. And I think also the idea of individuals with guns that are concealed that are told by the police not to do something, violating that police order, there's something really wrong when that happens. And I think lots and lots of people across our country feel that way.
CROWLEY: And a lot has been said, though, about the justice system and that it seems to many people sort of innately racially divided from whether someone is charged all the way through the verdict. Do you think that the American justice system is innately racist?
QUINN: Well, I sure hope not. The American way is colorblind. And you know, Dr. King 50 years ago on August 28th of 1963 talked about that goal of all of us to have a colorblind society and if our justice system needs improvement we must together, all of us, Americans, work together to straighten that out.
Makes you wonder if all these folks thought the American justice system was innately racist when O.J. Simpson was acquitted for killing his ex-wife and her boyfriend.
