Mark Wahlstrom is joined in this episode of Speaking of Justice, originally broadcast in December 2015 by famed trial lawyer, Gerry Spence to discuss his recent book, "Police State". This was a look at how for decades, in cities all across America, rogue police have allegedly gotten away with murder. Written and published at time when the Freddy Gray and Ferguson protests were front and center, as well as the emergence of the BLM movement, this book and perspective capture a very specific turning point in American culture. According to Spence the distance that had been created between law enforcement and society is a growing threat best illustrated by an increasingly militarized police who increasingly appear to pose a risk to the civil liberties of ordinary citizens. His observations are somewhat prophetic given the continued tension evident in 2019 toward police enforcement in many communities across America. Gerry Spence spent over 50 years defending the rights of citizens, big and small in cases spanning from the Karen Silkwood case, Imelda Marcos, Randy Weaver and Jeffery Fieger. In this podcast one of the great lions of criminal law draws a parallel between what the climate is in America today vs a time in the 1930's in Germany, with a warning regarding the tendency of people to surrender their rights in return for the illusion of safety. While his perspective is certainly strongly in the "progressive" camp, his warnings about the loss of freedoms and rights apply to all sectors of the US justice system. A great interview! You can learn more about Gerry Spence by going to his law firm website and you can purchase the book on Amazon.
Gerry Spence spent over 50 years defending the rights of citizens, big and small in cases spanning from the Karen Silkwood case, Imelda Marcos, Randy Weaver and Jeffery Fieger. In this podcast he draws a parallel between what the climate is in America today vs a time in the 1930's in Germany, with a warning regarding the tendency of people to surrender their rights in return for the illusion of safety.
A great interview! You can learn more about Gerry Spence by going to his law firm website and you can purchase the book on Amazon by clicking here.