Justice Seems Only Skin-Deep

* Re “Murder Trial Tests Little-Used Doctrine,” Jan. 31:

In 1997 in Solano County, during a fight a white youth kills a Latino youth by stabbing him in the back and serves two days in Juvenile Hall and probation on a weapons charge.

Two Latino youths, who tried to save the life of their friend, are charged with second-degree murder and face 15 years to life if convicted. The fight started after a group of six white youths exchanged insults and attacked a car driven by the three Latino youths.

In 1993 in San Clemente, a white youth is killed in a freak accident after he is struck with a paint roller during a confrontation between two groups of white and Latino youths.

In that case, six Latino youths are charged with murder and sentenced up to 26 years to life. None of the white youths is charged. What is wrong with this picture?

Any fair-minded person would have to conclude that the underlying motive driving the prosecution of these two cases was blatant, institutionalized racism.

It’s interesting to note that although Orange County Assistant Dist. Atty. Claudia Silbar acknowledged not knowing much about the Solano County case, she stated that the circumstances suggest a “gang scenario.”

Such an attitude of automatically associating Latino youths with gangs may explain some of the recent miscarriages of justice in the Los Angeles Police Department’s Rampart Division.

ANGEL D. SISTOS

San Clemente